Erathian Chronicles:Duty Bound
by exitus10
Summary: Erathian Chronicles the first of many of the tales following the exploits of the infamous Lieutenant Werath Hakon and his 17th Company. Inspired when writing the Prelude for Battlegrounds: Canticar Crusade by TLH. Don't forget to review.
1. Chapter 1 : Siege of Basilica

**Chapter 1**

Thanos Campaign, 

Siege of Basilica Hereticus,

* * *

"This is a bloody joke!" That was all Hakon could say at the way the enemy fought. They fired useless auto gun rounds at them, they were foolish enough to believe the shells could penetrate Armaplas carapace, such is the mind of a Heretic. The bastard Traitors fought like wounded dogs cornered, they charged the Erathians in droves, but were shot down by disciplined volleys of the 17th Erathian Company. "Forward, Strikers!" he ordered.

Sergeant Halvorn led his platoon into a trench line crashing amongst the wood and bodies reinforcing Sergeant Kastor's Platoon, the traitors were cut down without mercy, Hakon jumped down and joined them.

"Halvorn, Kastor with me we need those guns out!".

The sergeants nodded in acknowledgment, Hakon retrieved a Bolt clip and slammed it into his Bolt Pistol, a gift from Marshal Graf, his most treasured instrument of war. Hakon raised his chain sword and and bellowed the Rally cry.

Yelling "Thervani Arthum!", he charged from the trench into the enemy gun line, checking his flanks to see that his comrades were beside him firing and advancing, the heretic shots were wide and ineffective bouncing off the forged armours of the Erathians. Within a few seconds they were within the gun line chopping, hacking and shooting.

A massive heretic spear man lunged at Hakon, who side stepped and swung down his chain blade slicing through the shaft of the spear, the heretic tried to use the broken spear and stabbed it at Hakon's chest, the weak wood splintered as it met the hardened Carapace, but Hakon was thrown back by its force, using the momentum Hakon bought up his gun and shot the heretic in the head, the limp body fell down joining the carpet of dead heretics. Three warriors charged past him and shot heretics point blank, all around him men hacked at the bastard heretics and Hakon joined in the massacre, blood ran through the gutter mixing with drain water and urine. Hakon had already spotted the rest of the company and proceeded yo rally them. The Charge had succeeded and the Erathian Banner flew triumphantly.

The Lieutenant took relieve from the carnage as the vox-bead beeped into life "Sir, there is a traitor Rhino heading to your left, they are covering the retreat of the heretic right wing. Over".

Hakon considered his options "Thank you, Harth. Hakon Out." replied Hakon, he turned to the men beside him,

"Trooper Kashin, Trooper Ulas get me your rockets." He turned pointed at the running enemy "Rest of you, Strikers, kill those bastards!".

Suddenly a Rhino burst into view, Red Armoured warriors exited the vehicle as they began pouring fire into the trenches which Erathians held, Hakon watched the enemy and to his horror recognized the heraldry.

"Word Bearers!" cursed Hakon under his breath.

To the left he spotted the Banner of the 14th Thorian Guard charge at the enemy, they were mercilessly cut down by enemy fire. He had to support them.

"Troopers Kashin and Ulas, hit that!" ordered Lieutenant Hakon as he chopped his hand toward the enemy Rhino.

Two bright rockets shot from his right and the comets smashed into the rhino hull, the Rhino and the surrounding area was wreathed in a ball of fire as the Chaos Marines where thrown to the ground. "Do or Die, Troopers!" yelled the Lieutenant as they charged at the surviving Word Bearers. To his surprise the Thorians were already upon them hacking the Traitors, he spotted a few more of the Chaos Marines move into a Bunker nearby, they proceeded to shoot at the advancing 14th Thorian.

"Kastor, get some flamers on that block!" yelled Hakon nodding at a bunker as he wiped the blood from his visor, "I want those bitches nice and crisp!" he ordered.

Three Erathian Guardsmen lugging on Heavy Flamers ran past him training the weapons at the bunker slits, the flamers blocked the slits and poured fire through the Bunkers innards, as the temperature rose to ridiculous amounts the ammunition began cooking off. Like a pressure cooker the bunker's plascrete roof blasted off high and with it went the bodies of the Word Bearer Chaos Marines who held the bunker, Lieutenant Hakon smiled as he walked past a ruined husk of a heretic Rhino. Sergeant Helvorn fell in step with him, he produced a data-slate and gave it to Hakon.

He briefly read over its content, "Why the hell aren't the Cadians here yet?" asked a iron voice interrupting his thought, Hakon turned around to see, the 14th Thorian Guard Captain Nathaniel Arius walk towards him.

"I have suffered heavy casualties, Hakon and in need of medical support." Hakon saluted the Captain, "I can be of assistance..." he suggested, the Captain looked angry and dismayed as he nodded.

Hakon looked toward the Sergeants afar. "Delvin get the men to clear the wounded."

The Sergeant nodded in reply, "Kastor get up some field tents over there." Hakon yelled.

He pointed toward the Imperial Bunkers. The Captain shook his head "Someone's gonna pay for this!" he growled, he was angry and at loss, Hakon knew, but so was he.

_Bloody Cadians,_ he thought to himself. _Damn them, Emperor's Finest my arse_.

"Where they hell could they be?" he roared again.

Hakon removed his helm and strapped it onto his Carapace Chest-Plate. "Let's find out, eh? Captain" he replied as he tapped his ear and activated his vox bead.

"Vox-Officer Harth, get me a secure line to Commander Orvan, Now!".

"Yes, Sir!" came the sweet instant reply and a long moment of static and beping followed as the Vox-Comm mode was adjusted and the lines secured and connected and the silent beep confirmed a recognized access, without wasting time he clicked on his comm.

"Commander Yarvin Orvan, this is Lieutenant Hakon of the 17th Erathian Heavy Infantry Company. Do you Copy?."

The vox-comm crackled as the reply came "This is Commander Orvan! Proceed!"

Hakon smirked at the tone of his voice, "Smug Bastard, eh?" joked Helvorn, the men around started laughing,Hakon bought his hand up for silence, Captain Arius stood there annoyed, more than ever.

"Where is my so called promised "reinforcements" Commander. My Company and the 14th Thorians can't hold a siege sections ourselves?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"Lieutenant...Hakon is it? Look I promised you nothing. The 24th Cadian Armour will be arriving within Seventy-Two Standard Minutes." came a disgruntled and Hierarchic reply.

"And Soldier Hakon. Don't Ever Question my command...Ever!" Orvan hissed on the vox-net as the comm bleeped off and the channel cut.

Hakon turned to his men there was fire in his eyes and his fists were balled in anger, he reflected the Captain's felling toward the Cadians, he just growled and walked away thanking the Lieutenant and his Sergeants.

"Poor, dog. Must've lost atleast half his men." remarked Sergeant Belvin returning from his duty.

Hakon inhaled a lungful of air and exhaled, with it went his anger.

"Was I right sir? Isn't Ovran a Smug bastard." teased Halvorn, changing the subject.

"No, my friend, he's just a little ass-wipe."

A roar of laughter spread throughout the mustering Company as soldiers clapped their beloved Lieutenant on his back and shoulder.

They all laughed and sung that night, they drunk and ate, tomorrow they were back to the grim business of War.

* * *

The capture of the Carnus Trenches and the Bunkers 7 and 8 had significantly reduced the heretic numbers to the besiegers right flank and was secured from further sorties as the Basilica was now fully surrounded. It was all thanks to the 17th Erathians and the 14th Thorian Guards and their relentless assault. Clad in heavy Carapace Armour forged from Armaplas and Ceramite and armed with the Assault Las rifles, the Strike Teams led by Lieutenant Werath Hakon and Captain Nathaniel Arius smashed through the Heretic lines in a surprise dawn attack. Hakon's Company, nicknamed the Strikers, were one of the most decorated and most experienced Company to ever come out of the Erathian System, commended personally by Lord Marshal Graf Harazhaan of the Vostroyan First-Born at the Battle of Ghelmas III for their efforts at single handedly destroying an Ork Armoured Column and trapping well over Fifteen Hundred Ork reinforcements who were subsequently destroyed by a Combined Erathian and Firstborn assault. Also to their commendations and the most notable was the rescue of an Inquisitor General Amadis from the clutches of a Heretical Eldar Farseer.

Through all this Hakon still itched for a promotion for himself and his comrades, but of course there was General Uilarch Damos, he had hated Hakon's father for marrying the woman he loved and being promoted to Colonel and receiving a Regiment before himself, this led to utter jealousy and in a flash the bastard burnt down young Werath's house with his parents and his siblings within. The Bastard was granted his Regiment and became a General, and ever since Hakon had joined the Erathian Imperial Guard he was hounded by that bastard and his military sanctions, limiting him to a position of Lieutenant by the Decree of Thule. By the Emperor he had sworn to avenge all his lives losses, and by Terra he will see the Bastard Damos killed by his own hands.

* * *

This whole conflict on Thanos IV was thanks to the mad Saint Marius the Marked and his iron grip on the once Loyal world's populace, the bastard had sacrficed millions of children, new born and young children to the maws of Chaos, a sick twisted "Saint" who bought ruin to the world and had armed the citizens to face the Emperor's Retribution. The entire PDF and the Heretic Guardsmen were readied and Marshalled for war and behind them all stringing the puppets were the mystical Chaos Legion of the Word Bearers, under the Superstitious Apostle Khulnath. It was he who swore the World to its Death, it was he who will bring real Chaos to this world, it will be him who will ascend to Daemon hood and sit by the Daemon Prince Lorgar.

The Strikers were preparing their beloved gear for the next assault, the consolidation of the trenches was handed over to the late 24th Cadians as the Two-Hundred and Fifty Strong 17th Erathian advanced toward Wall Section 18, they were to link up with the rest of their Regiment, the 42nd Erathian Troopers and reinforce the assault force of the 402nd Cadian Troopers. The Artillery of the 24th was to create a breach in the section to start the assault, the plan was simple, they were to secure the breach, overpower the forces around the area, fortify their position until Armour of the 24th come in for support advance to the Westfield Plaza and await the Astartes of the Imperial Fists to lead an all out assault at the Basilica and the Inner Fortress. Easier said than Done.

The Morning started with the usual prayer ritual and the cleaning of weapons and preparing for the assault. The rest of the 42nd Erathian were massing near the wall near its foot trenches, the 7th Company had already dug in sappers and had set charges to coincide with the Initial Bombardment. Hakon was already looking over the battle plans relayed to him by Colonel Erkhan Badur, a veteran of Thirteen years who had seen the best and worst of wars.

Always a perfectionist Hakon needed his Company ready for combat, he strode over to the camp lectern and switched on the camp vox.

"Halvorn, Delvin, Kastor get your Platoons ready and move out to Way point 6 alpha, Dorman and Gerston get your platoons to follow with the Heavy Weapons!".

The Company streamed out and started assembling into their respective Platoons, Hakon was happy to see all the bright faces, there was Trooper Mig with his witty jokes aimed at their big Sergeant Delvin, and here close to him was Trooper Jolan a young cadet who had just passed from the Erathian Military Academy, he was pleased to note that none of his Company were killed or wounded ever since they came to this blasted world, The God-Emperor truly did smile upon them, a creased smile crept across his lips.

"Lieutenant, Sir!" saluted Halvorn, his most trusted companion, he produced a Data-Card and held it out, "One of the Subaedars from 3rd Squad told me he was assigned with this to be given to you."

Hakon looked suspiciously at the thing and took it from Halvorn and inserted it onto the Data-Slate he held," Where did he get it from? Who gave it to him?" asked a curious Hakon as he read the contents.

"Uhhhh, oh. Subaedar Landar, yes, he was hurt when his squad was clearing a bunker, that little baby had to go boo-boo stitching at the field hospital." Helvorn smiled as the thought occurred to him.

Hakon stroked his chin as he read the slate, "Was it bad?" he inquired. The big sergeant laughed and nodded his head "A shrapnel struck his thigh, flesh wound." Hakon smiled "Cry-Baby." he agreed "So where is he?".

Subaedar Landar was the Squad leader of the 3rd Squad within the 17th Company, fairly professional and approachable unlike Subaedar "Bugger"Farokh of the 8th Squad. Squad was readying for the assault when Hakon walked into the arming area followed by Halvorn, he was met with a stern salutes and whooping, he smiled to them and waved his hand as the cheering died down, it was one thing to be respected through power, but quite something else to be respected through brotherhood. He approached the Subaedar, a well built Erathian standing at least Six Foot from the ground wide on the shoulder and well muscled, he was assembling his Assault Las when Hakon approached him, the Subaedar reverently put aside the gun and stood at attention in a perfect motion.

"At Ease, Subaedar Landar." he said saluting back and retreiving the data-card, "Who gave this to you?",Hakon asked tossing it at Landar who caught it and looked at it, recognition flashed across his face.

"A Commissar approached me and told me to...'pass the message' to you,Sir!." answered the Subaedar in a gruff but honest voice.

Hakon looked suspiciously at him, "What was his name?", Landar scratched his head in thought,

"Commissar...Ra...something...oh, Sir!".

Halvorn smirked in anger, "What's wrong with you boy, can't you bloody remember a name?" Halvorn turned to Hakon, "He was probably too busy ogling all the pretty medicae nurses. Horny Bastard. I'll beat it out of him, Sir!".

The Subaedar's face went sour at the remark. Hakon surprised at the old Sergeant's anger placed his hand on his armoured shoulder,

"Calm down man. No need for threats of discipline...yet." , he turned to Landar "Was it Commissar Cesar? Think carefully."

Landar cradled his head in his palm in thought, suddenly a smile crept in his face "Commissar Ivan Rashid, Sir!" he answered, Hakon's face twisted in anger at the mention of the name, he swiftly turned and proceeded to walk out.

"Thank You. Trooper. Look to your duties. Do or Die Strikers!" he said without turning, the entire room saluted "Do or Die!" echoed the Troopers.

Halvorn caught up with the fuming Hakon "What is it, Hak?" he asked concerned.

Hakon nodded in anger, "He was lying."

Halvorn looked surprised "What now? What about Landar?" he asked.

"I...we need to root out this problem." replied Hakon.

"So do you want him whacked! Hak?" a grin crossed his face.

"Not, yet, Hal, not yet. We will do it after our obligation to the Emperor." replied Hakon.

They stopped next to the newly erected Command Tent. Hakon nodded to the Erathian Guards already on sentry duty, as he and Halvorn entered the Tent

"Now, what?" asked Halvorn stroking his chin

"To war!" said Hakon.

* * *

Wassup! This is my new fiction, I hated how Blood Of the Fallen went, I am discontinuing it unless you people want me to. This is a spin-off of the Prelude I wrote for_**The Lone Hunter** _for his** Battlegrounds:Canitcar Crusade**. I loved the Character of Hakon and his Sarge and also the ever calm Commissar Rashid. This is set a few years prior to the Canticar Crusade.

There maybe two things in the tale you don't recognize apart from the terrible battles.

**Subaedar : **Is a Squad Leader, I got the name from the Indian Army appointing their Sergeants as Subaedars. The Sergeants are in turn Platoon Leaders. I just got lazy and never identified if they were senior sergeants so I used Subaedars instead.

**Assault-Las:** Is a advanced variation of the M-Galaxy Pattern Las Rifle, it is somewhere in between a Las Rifle and a Hellgun. It is a derivative of cutting lasers used in mining and was adapted by the Erathians as a weapon. It has a standard bulky frame fires 30 charged shots before energy cell replacement, easy to repair and maintain but costly to produce. Erathians carry a small Las Charger packs on their backs for easy recharging their las cells and recycling makes them very effective. They have all this due to the STC recovered on Erathia and were gifted with the inventions above by the Mechanicum and the Munitorium.

* * *

We must Instigate Plan B.

You mean...

Yes! Kill all towels in a Thousand Mile Radius!

Repensum Est Canicula.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2 : City Assault

**Chapter 2**

Thanos Campaign

Siege of Basilica Hereticus

* * *

Hakon looked up at the darkening sky in awe as hundreds of aircraft raced back and forth across the skies zigzagging between the bright flak traces and las-beams, the heretics possessed an air-force but nothing the Emperor's Fleet cannot overcome.

Hakon looked up at the darkening sky in awe as hundreds of aircraft raced back and forth across the skies zigzagging between the bright flak tracers and las-beams, the heretics possessed an air-force but nothing the Emperor's Fleet cannot overcome. His helmet was clipped to his chest; his face was exposed to the elements as the battle hardened and weathered face flinched as fresh wind blew in from the north, the slightly creased mouth opened wide in a smile, the dark set eyes moved its vision back to guns of the 24th firing ear shattering rounds into the wall section, coded as Wall Section 8 by the High Command, pounding its imposing structure amidst the plethora of trench works into submission.

The heretic defenders on the walls were firing at the trench works extending right toward their walls, a few hundred meters separated them from the trenches, here was the litter of over a thousand traitors who tried to escape the wrath of the Imperial assault, their blood now fed the rotten and beaten earth.

There was a brief bleep in Hakon's ear bead as the vox turned on with a hiss, "Lieutenant Hakon, this is the Colonel. Prepare for the Assault. Out.", Hakon smiled at the order. "It will be done, Sir! The God-Emperor guides us!" he replied. "Indeed he does! Do or Die!" replied the old Colonel "Do or Die!" he echoed.

Hakon retrieved his helmet from his armour clip and donned it over his young, experienced face. Being only some Twenty-Six years standard he had risen up the ranks like a phoenix from the ashes. He joined the Erathian Guard when he was just Seventeen, after his family was destroyed and his care and family wealth went unto his Uncle, Jersai Oliton, an extremely rich and influential Rogue Trader, he was extremely good natured toward the young Werath and re-enlisted his Company as his Flagship's security detail.

Hakon sighed at the thought of Uncle Jers, how he missed him. His cousins Nerth and Alger were there with him too, they saw their first action boarding a Tau ship, he wanted to immerse and loose himself in the thoughts of the past. No, he had a honour bound duty to perform in the name of the Emperor, he closed his eyes and chanted the Prayer of the Emperor's Will, his eyes opened with new purpose, purpose filled him as he locked and sealed his helmet and loaded his Assault-Las.

A massive explosion ripped through the Wall Section as the sapper mines were set-off, the Company howled in joy, the assault had begun.

The walls came tumbling down like an avalanche of debris and bodies, explosion ripped across the crumbling wall as the ammunitions stored within exploded subsequently. A wave of the destroyed wall flooded into the gap between the defenders and the Imperials as minarets of smoke and dust twisted upward behind a cacophony of death shrills and explosions.

The utter immensity of this scale of destruction shocked even the most stout hearted defenders, to add to the worries a flood of bodies dressed in grey and cream fatigues pressed on behind the Aegis of a legion of armoured tanks. The 402nd Cadian Trooper Regiments supported by the 74th Argos Merest Armoured Division launched the first wave of assaults against the breaches across the Fortress City. The feeling of the place was that of death and gloom, as the dark clouds above twisting gathered around the Basilica forming a vortex above it. Thunder and lightning echoed across the skies where still the aerial battle continued.

"Strikers, forward!" yelled Hakon as the 402nd flooded into the breaches and were past the lip. The entirety of the 42nd Erathian Regiment followed suit as the orders to advance echoed by Lieutenants throughout the Regiment. Hundreds of heavily armoured and armed heavy infantry followed the Guardsmen into the city. Hakon ran up the debris hill followed by his hardened company, as he reached the lip of rubble what he saw was utter madness.

A strange mist of rainbow drifted across mingling and mixing with the dust and smokes from the barrages of fire, piles of dead and skulls lay across the broken plascrete, blood could be smelt even through the air filters he wore, blocks of houses lay here and there churning out soldiers who came armed to defend their homes.

In all quickness the 17th Company advanced to the bottom of the rubbles toward the city and joined their Regiments charge into the mass of enemies rallying from the initial shock of the assault. The 402nd and the 74th had dispersed to their left and right to defeat the enemy armoured forces heading toward the breaches, the Erathian Regiment were to be the speartip which shatters the enemies forces and punctures a wound from wherein the other forces may slay the heretics with ease.

The Erathians crashed into a solid line of heretics wore dulled grey flak vests, they were draped in long brown cloaks and a shawl was drawn across their faces pressed into their helms. They clutched Auto guns and heavy stubbers which relentlessly worked trying to penetrate the heavily reinforced Armaplas and ceramite of the Erathian battle-gear, a few found a mark hear and there but the counter fire was much more brutal as concentrated las shots severed limbs and bodies as heretics fell literally into pieces.

Hakon reached the line first slinging his Assault-Las and retrieving his chainsword in a fluid motion, he thumbed the activation rune a moment before he reached a heretic, struggling to dislodge a bullet hood from the bolt hole. Hakon swung the sword down cutting through the enemy's skull and shoulder cleaving him in half, blood, viscera and bloodied bone fragments flew everywhere, the stump fell pumping flood like a fountain into the ground.

Lieutenant Hakon dislodged his chainblade from the abdomen of a fallen heretic and charged onto the next unfortunate victim, he cut left instinctively and warded of a blade, he struck at the heretic wielding it and the enemy parried, but the chain bit through the twin fold steel, the chain blade broke through and cut into the man's arm severing it. The poor bastard yelped in pain and fell to his knees cursing Hakon; the frustrated Lieutenant swung his blade beheading the fool heretic.

He retrieved his Assault-Las one handed and shot into a crowd of heretics cowering from his fury; he murdered them mercilessly cursing their dark gods, as all around him bloody slaughter was taking place as the heretics were being cut down in droves. He looked for his Sergeants in the mingle of Erathian companies relishing in slaughter, he spotted his Company flag, but to his left he spotted the back of a heretic holding a Erathian Subaedar down while his brother tried to slit the Subaedar's throat.

Hakon rushed up and shot the traitor in the back, the freed Subaedar kicked the heretic with the knife of him, he retrieved a Las-pistol nodding to Hakon as he nodded back and moved to rally his company he heard three las shots behind him, he smiled as he switched on his vox, "Seventeenth, to the banner, Rally!" he ordered, "Thervani Arthum!" the vox flooded in echoing reply.

* * *

**Outer City**

* * *

The fight was now being taken to the streets, the inner walls were secured by the 24th Armoured and the Erathian attack advanced toward blocks of houses littered across the city.

Werath switched on his inter-vox "Halvorn, Delvin, cover left. Kastor with me. Dorman and Gerston you go left. Keep your eyes sharp!"

"All fine, sir! But where are you and Kastor of too?" asked Delvin.

"Maybe a secret Heretic Tea party he found?" added Sergeant Halvorn, the vox burst into laughter.

"I am going up the center you idiots! Either way I would rather take Havlon for a tea party, he enjoys dressing up you know!" more laughter followed, jokes like these kept the men calm and collected, as the worries of battle and the after effects of war is a massive burden for soldiers.

"Strikers we got, contact on 4-6!" yelled a Subaedar in the din of thudding shells and chatter of distant gunfire, "Copy that, we got enemies crawling on the rooftops!" came Hakon's reply

"Stay sharp strikers watch out for ambuscades." He added as las shots erupted across the streets they covered, the heretics here were clever they were waiting for them instead of charging out and being cut to ribbons.

He replaced the las-cell and charged the rifle, the warning systems in his helmet bleeped as it indicated enemy movements and picked up human signatures. "Contact. Right building, 2nd through to 4th floor!" yelled a Subaedar, "Contact. Center Block." added Kastor.

Hakon turned and fired shots on to the 2nd floor of a dirty mud caked building, three bodies fell peppered by las-shots seven Erathians beside him fired shots upwards as they advanced through the street, more heretics were hit as the bodies tumbled down like rag dolls. Hakon yelled for caution as he saw two figures carrying Rocket tubes advanced from the 3rd storey of the Center Block on the curve of the road, "Strikers! Find cover." he ordered as they jumped into the alleys and into buildings nearby as explosions bloomed all over the street as the rockets rained down,

"Delvin, we need close support, you free?" Hakon asked on the vox,

"We are pinned at an intersection, too spread out sir! Sorry." Came a desperate reply

"Havlon, you?" he asked, the vox crackled as Havlon's voice came through,

"I could use support my self, Trooper Ashrin is down!"

Hakon cursed under his breath as he put his back against the wall, he had walked into a trap he thought as peeked around the corner to survey the enemy position, heavy stubber fire stitched a path toward the wall and chipped the plascrete construct ripping chunks of the wall.

"Whose the closest Company?" he asked Kastor huddling beside him, Kastor retrieved a Data-Slate "12th, Sir! Good 'ol Farty Garth, eh?" he said with relief, Hakon echoed his feeling as he smiled and activated his vox bead and coded the regimental vox number. Garth was a fin warrior and officer, destined to be a Colonel, or even Division Commander, all except his deadly gas he passed too often, thanks to his fetish like love to Hamranian Tarts. it became a running joke in the Erathian 42nd Regiment as in Fart Garth or Farth.

"Lieutenant Garth this is the Lieutenant Werath Hakon of the 17th do you copy?" the vox hissed and crackled for a few seconds, "Hunter's of the 12th Company. Do you Copy?" he repeated, hiss and static reached a crescendo in his ear as a faint voice broke through

"Ha…bran….bath….".Hakon flinched as a bullet ricocheted near his head. "Repeat, Garth you read me?" he asked in desperation.

"Hakon, is that you? How you been man?" came a clearer and annoying reply.

"Damn it to hell 'Farth', By the Emperor's holy arse, we need support!" Hakon burst in anger, the recipient laughed.

"Calm it Hakie, gimme your co-ordinates, we can triangulate it, then home in on the vox signal!"

"Alright, hold…." he paused as he looked at the data slate, "….we are on the..uhhh….3rd Street left of the..uhhh Western Guard tower. Co-Ordinates are 43,87-34,34-98,22. Call in a 525. Extraction we got a man down!" there was a brief pause in the contact.

"Copy that, Werath, we are moving to your position. Got troop dispositions for me?" Garth asked in all seriousness.

"We got hold on…" Hakon paused as he peeked at the enemy positions as he squeezed of shots, "…four, six.." he whispered. "There are seven main points of enemy fire, ten buildings on the street we are near the fifth down the street, they are covering the floors alternating fire between them, total estimates according to the auspex is around Seventy Two Heretics."

The vox crackled and whined for a few minutes "Copy that, my vox-Officer has gotten hold of your other Platoons, I have requested air support and my buddies from the 11th are arriving to reinforce them. ETA, three minutes. Keep it hot so we can see you."

Hakon bleeped off his vox and signaled the Subaedar's across the street from him, the Erathian hand signals was second language to most field officers and soldiers thank to their high level training, he extended his middle and index fingers and flicked his wrist and cut his thumb across his forehead and ended it with a swift chop. Two Erathians lugging Rocket Launchers approached the corner of the street as they nodded to Hakon indicating they are ready to fire, he readied Kastor's squad.

"Hit'em were it hurts, Boys!" he said as he got to a low crouch, he stuck his head out the corner to see the firing had died down a little, he retrieved a small ball from his belt and threw it down the street as clouds of smoke bellowed from the ball, "Covering Fire!" yelled Hakon as he broke cover with the two squads behind him flushed out and laid down a torrent of fire into the Hab-Block floors, their advanced helms could penetrate the smoke and pick out the pre-recorded positions of the enemy forces.

"Heretics, seventh building second floor!" yelled Subaedar Karlon, two rockets shot out from the alley corner into the balcony, a massive explosion erupted from the building as a huge chunk of the building came crashing down, with it came the bodies of a dozen or so Heretics, "Strikers! Forward!" yelled Hakon as the squads advanced through the cover from the smoke into the next set of blocks.

The Platoon proceeded to climb up the building closest to them and clear the floors one by one, firing into the mobs of citizens who tried to defend their homes by bearing any weapon they could find. Floor by floor they made the building devoid of threats and proceeded to exchange shots toward the other buildings down the streets covering the advance of the rest of the platoon below as they reached a road-block, they used it as cover and fired rockets into the higher floors.

"Lieutenant Hakon, Reinforcements have arrived!" announced Subaedar Darvith, as three Regimental Vultures approached for medical evacuation.

Hundreds of Erathians of the other companies flooded down the other end of the street and began capturing the buildings one by one, the remaining buildings which held out were reinforced with metal barricades and Steel doors. These were taken out by air support units in the form of hundreds of Vultures; carrying Elite Kasrkin of the Cadian Regiments flew across the air amidst a hundred rockets fired from the rooftops firing missiles into other unseen foes deeper in the city, hovering over buildings as men rappelled down to clear hostile buildings. The Erathian Seventeenth punched their fists in the air and shouted in joy, they were reinforced by Kasrkin Squads, now the advance into the wretched corrupted city can begin anew.

* * *

_**Sweet, here's another chapter, hope you guys review this, there's a lot more choasy goodness to come, which just completely disappeared after the assault began. Big Part.**_

_**Got questions about this then just ask. By the way don't forget to review.**_

* * *

_When you go to any areas where you may get wet. Never forget to bring a towel._

_Don's forget to bring a towel._

_I am so high right now!! puff puff coughcough...Look Santa and a Magic Dragon, they are fighting._

* * *


	3. Chapter 3 : Battle at the Bridge

**Chapter 3**

Thanos Campaign, 

Siege of Basilica Hereticus,

Outer City-The Bridge

* * *

The force of the explosion sent the concussed heretics flying as a wave of dust and energy emanated from the explosion. The heretic bodies rag dolled into the plascrete walls or the jutting steel reinforcements on the buildings, it was assured that they would either be smashed into the solid walls and crushed like an egg or be skewered on to the metal bars like a piece of meat. Echoing sounds of the explosion reverberated around the ruins as the Erathians broke cover and headed past the massive crater created by the Annihilator round, securing the area as their peers set up the. Annihilator Rounds were the size of a man and wider than a barrel of the finest Amasec, fired from specialized Earthshaker Cannons, used only when a large concentration of enemy forces were holding a small bottleneck, here it had not only killed the enemy but had effectively broken the bottle-neck by destroying the entire block.

Over seven hundred Heretics had held the entrance to the Bridge 3, shortest, but sturdiest and the most accessible bridge in that sector of the immense and still unraveling city. All were mercilessly killed, or more appropriately shredded to pieces, by the Artillery bombardment. The 24th Cadian Armoured in concert with the 74th Argos Merest Tanks had stopped at the area called the Ethan's Market, and set up a defensive line. The Erathians and the rest of the 402nd Cadian were to link up and restart the push reinforced by elements of the 3rd and 4th Battle Company of the venerable Imperial Fists. The tactics had changed so many times that it was getting annoying to so many of the Field Commanders. The Imperial Armour divisions had crushed an offensive led by a Word Bearer armour detachment of some three hundred Predator Tanks, and a Heretic force of some three thousand Battle Tanks, such a force was never anticipated, as usual this was the Imperial intelligence. Imperial Forces also suffered, heavily, the overall attack had stalled as massive losses in the initial push, however successful, was extremely bloody. Three regiments were well below operational levels by just the third day of the offensive. 12th Cadian Regiment and the 895th Venath Talons Regiment were utterly devastated, no more than two companies survived from each of the Regiments.

The bridge was covered in debris but the enemy were all dead, they had foolishly massed at the entrance and had paid dearly for it, close to a hundred Erathian Troopers made their way across the wide bridge, it was only hundred meters long, but it was strangely just as wide. Below the bridge was a strange and massive flow of a brownish liquid which had acted as a moat for the Inner-City, this was the Intelligence report anyway. But why have a moat and no wall was indeed a strange city. Hakon ordered his platoon forward as they weaved through the war lit night, far off they could see the bright tracer fire of the flak positions struggling to hit the swarming bomber conducting devastating strafes across the defenders camps. Hakon looked warily at the ruined buildings around the area and frowned, this felt like a trap, he raised his hand for pause.

"Halvorn cover right with your platoon, Kastor you got left, watch for enemy movement."

Just as he finished his order, four bright comets trailed by chemical propellant erupted from the bombed out buildings. The rockets slammed into the asphalt amongst the advancing company and threw men into the air as limbs were torn off and torsos ripped from the body, Hakon defensively ducked and jumped for cover behind the wreck of a land car. His Sergeants were running for cover as they fired into the ruins, Delvin held a auspex device and scanned over the ruins.

"We have contact, buildings marked with red flags!" yelled Delvin over the vox.

Immediately arrow markers flashed on the heads-up units and targeters bleeped the intended buildings and red arrows pointed at the enemy positions, Hakon nodded toward Delvin. He was learning, he had the potential to be a lieutenant; Hakon activated his vox as he scanned the area for his best target.

"Sergeant Gerston, get some heavy fire on building marked three!" a curt reply confirmed the order.

"Landar, sweep around right catch 'em off guard, enter and kill them all!"

"Sir, are you sure? That may be too hasty sir. I can't risk my squad…"

"Damn it man, stop being such a fraking pain!"

"Yes, Sir!" Landar hissed "Advancing!"

Thrown off by this kind of insubordination Hakon stared toward Subaedar Landar's position, he wished for a Commissar right about now

"Bloody loose ends" he swore under his breath. His vox suddenly hissed into life and bleeped indicating an incoming signal, it was Lieutenant Foran Garth.

"Hakon, this is Garth, we're moving in for close support." Hakon sighed in relief as he heard his old friends voice.

"Damn it! That is twice we owe you Farth." mused Hakon.

Garth laughed loud to the vox buzzing the comm unit "I will make a note of that, Hak. You owe me and the company a barrel of Amasec, eh?"

"Whatever, sure I will." Hakon said with sarcasm as he cracked three shots into the building. "Hakon, out!" he ended.

There was a sudden explosion toward the west-end building as the structure came tumbling down, smoke and rubble-dust spat out from it. A massive frame of a Predator tank broke through the haze of dust firing its Autocannon in to Hakon's company. The troopers fired back from their cover, Hakon raised his hand and chopped it at the tank and swiveled his forearm and splayed his fingers. This battle sign indicated troopers with rockets to find a proper firing line prepare to fire, while a squad of troopers covered them with diversion . Three troopers lugging Missile Tubes ran past him with their heads down as Subaedar Vernon deployed his squad's Heavy Bolter as cover with three troopers with the crew, Vernon gathered five of the remaining troops and led them far down the left lane and turned firing their Assault-Las as distraction from the rockets being prepared to fire at the tank. Bolter fire stitched a path toward Vernon's position and Hakon watched in horror as four troopers took the shells to their torsos. Small blasts erupted across their body as the charges lit up, all at the same time they fell clutching gaping wounds which bled profusely.

"No!" yelled Vernon as he ducked for cover beside the bodies of his troopers.

Hakon got to his feet and ran towards Vernon's position on the way he tapped the shoulders of the troopers of the tenth squad, as he ordered to follow him. Three rockets shot out in front of him toward the cursed tank, the rickets swiveled and turned avoiding one another heading for the mutual target. By the time Hakon and his men reached Vernon's position the cracking explosions from the impacts and the ensuing chaos of sound and fire of a dying tank engulfed the air. Relentlessly they advanced through the cover beside the brave troopers

"Vernon, are you ok?" Hakon growled over the explosions and gunfire.

The Subaedar's face was streaked with cuts from shrapnel and the sweat and blood was mixed with bitter tears as he knelt beside one particular body. His body armour was riddled with dents as the Bolt rounds had ricocheted or had exploded while deflected, four rounds had pierced near the left hip, Hakon slowly followed the armour until he read the name tag, the only thing which was unscathed on the ruined armour, it read Kaman. The helmet was broken and the dead face of a youth peered out of the massive hole caused by a bolt round, which had exploded destroying the helm but had left the face unscathed. Suddenly he recognized as one of the younger and brighter one's of the Regiment. Suddenly the full realization dawned on him, why the Subaedar was knelt beside this body. It was Vernon's son.

"Death to the Heretics!" yelled a commanding voice from the bridge.

Hakon turned from the grim scene to look toward the new arrivals. It was Garth, his blade held high over his head, stayed true to his word as a flood of the 4th accompanied his promise.

"Onwards! Erathians!" Ordered Hakon as he got to his feet. "Halvorn, status!"

"Lieutenant, Landar's got the building six, Ulin and Athan's squads have taken four and five." came in the report on the vox, "Kastor is moving up the rest of the buildings. There are a lot of civilians around..."

"Good." said Hakon cutting into his sergeant's report "All units, advance, leave nothing alive."

"Sir?...kill them all?" questioned Kastor.

"Yes! Those bastards must die a traitors death!"

"Sir, they are unarmed we can't jus..."

"Kill them dammit! This is a direct order! I will not have them get away with murder of my Troopers! Kill them all!"

Vernon looked at Hakon, shocked at his outburst, all around them hundreds of troopers charged into the main street firing into the windows around the building. Moments later Hakon himself led the charge as they advanced at a ramshackle barricade erected down the street as civilians fled behind the barricade guarded by heretic warriors. The Erathians relentless pressed the attack by firing into the barricade, the heretics tried their best to gun down the warriors, but the stubs ricocthed of the Armaplas armour, suddenly the Erathians were amongst them shooting, hacking and killing. Hakon let out a cry of rage as he hacked a heretic from shoulder to groin, he swung left in a smooth motion and beheaded another. The killing around him was done as the last heretic soldier was killed, he retrieved his Bolt-Pistol and shot at a fleeing civilian in the back, his warriors followed suite, dozens of Erathians approached from the far end of the street blocking the civilians, a grim smile swept across his face as he saw Sergeant Delvin flanked by Subaedar Farokh's familiar face. What took place next was little short of a bloodbath.

The 4th Hunters had reinforced the Strikers position, followed by the 7th Hellraisers consolidating the crossings and clearing the debris at the bridge mouth to allow armoured formations through to the inner city. But what they saw around the place had shocked them, some Five hundred Heretics were killed and over a thousand civilians, mostly old, women and children were mercilissly slaughtered just beyond a makeshift barricade down the main street leading from the Bridge, the grim task of clearing the path was done by the Strikers themselves, they worked as if they had no thought for the slaughter around them. Garth looked shocked as he scanned the mess, three figures approcahed from his right, it was the hellraiser Luietenant Alric Karson and his two Suabedars, Garth removed his helmet and turned and gave Alric a martial salute, who returned it.

"Hakon's lost it!" Alric exclaimed as he nodded toward Hakon who was busy kicking body parts away as Armoured vehicles rolled past. Down the long street and in the horizon sounds of a major clash was reaching its height. The massive Inner City gates called the Steel Gates were held by some Five Armoured Divisions and a total siege of the Inner City was impossible as the enemy units still remained in through out the Outer City in great numbers.

"Really? How can you tell?" mocked Garth "I really didn't notice with all the limbs and bodies around!"

Alric laughed aloud and clapped his palm on his freind's shoulder, "A fine jest at such a grim time."

"Indeed, it is war after all, like Faron said eh?"

"Yes! what was it again? I seem to have forgotten his words against such slaughter."

Garth smiled as he stroked his chin in thought. "_War is the Prophecy. Survival is the Strategy. Pray to the God-Emperor for all the brethren that's deceased_." he said

"Ha! I knew you buried yourself in books when instead I honed my skills of war!" yelped Alric childishily, as he swung around his arm, until Garth realised that he was mimicking himself from an older argument.

His blue eyes shot back at Alric's own emerald set gaze, "It isn't easy is it?"

"Never!" said a voice on his left, it was Hakon.

"Hakon glad you could join our psychological evaluations, we were assessing you."

"Did I fare well?"

"No, you failed Hak, just like everything in your life, you are a failure!"

"Don't you a few Tarts to squeeze out, Garth? Either way that coming from you is a compliment. At least women I bed don't ask me 'Is it in yet' "

The men broke out in laughter as they patted each other on their backs, when suddenly the vox broke into static, there was an incoming message. After a long while as the static broke the whine st in as the encoded message was decoded, decoded into a desperate message.

"All units this is Commander Bashir of the 70th Armoured Company_. _We need assistance! We are pinned down at Alpha two-point zero, north of the Comm-stations..." the communique stopped as suddenly as it came.

"Commander Bashir?" inquired Hakon

"He commands the 70th and has his beast of a Baneblade _Arcanus Imperator_!" replied Garth

"Quite the commander. If he is stuck at spot you know this is gonna be a hard slog!" added Alric.

"Sirs," broke in Harth's voice over the vox, Hakon was happy to note the vox officer was alive, "we have the order to move forward and take out the bastards pinning down the 70th."

Hakon activated his vox-bead "Copy that, what if the status of the company?"

"They are down to half their strength. It seems they were ambushed near a park and were caught out in the open, there is are a lot of structures all around them pouring fire into them, its swarming with Chaos Marines and Heretic troops."

"What is the best way to them?"

"Uhhh a moment sir!..." the vox officer was shuffling through the data-slate map "There are two ways sir, direct and flank. The Direct way is smash up through the next Four blocks up the street and left into the Factory ruins. That is the Straight forward way full of heretics and barricades, there will be a lot of resistance. Or we could go up through the left near the main road turn left into an old Enforcer hub and down into the lower courtyard of an office, from their you can get a clear view of the fly over, just follow the road down the park is located upon the exit from the flyover, 100 meters from the courtyard. It is longer but fairly safe, we can flank them with rockets and reinforce the sods."

"So what, this the commands plans?"

"No, sir. Just my assessments."

"So any plans at all?"

After a long pause the vox broke in "None. They have issued no real plan, Sir. They just want us to swing around and kill the guns. We are to reinforce the commander."

"Thank you Harth...It seems I need to recommend you to a Tactician Commander, eh?" asked Hakon

"If only if it were that simple, sir! Harth replied. " So, what's the plan, sir?"

"Harth, get your squad and set up a forward post, we need your eyes."

"What is the plan of attack for us, oh great Hakon the Warlord?" jested Alric with a childish smile.

"Typical, bloody command!" growled Garth "Alright, boys how about a little excursion, eh?"

"You have a plan? You?" asked Hakon in all sarcasm.

"Yes, you little yuppie." said Garth as he pulled up a Data-Slate from his Sergeants hand which had already received the battle field data. "Look, we have well over 600 men, we might as well split it. Alric can lead the larger bulk up and around to hit the guns, you and I Hakon we will take 5 Squads each, we will go down the courtyard secure it and reinforce the Commander, make sure you bring rockets and Heavy weapons. Once in our areas we will advance from both sides and link up to form a proper offensive and let the Armour continue onwards."

"You came up with that? The Emperor must truly smile on you this fine day!" smirked Alric, the Lieutenants laughed and exchanged their martial salutes as they proceeded to marshal their forces.

The companies were split into two disproportionate part, one consisting of Five hundred and Fifty Troopers led by Alric. The other consisting of some One Hundred and Fifty Troopers led by Hakon and Garth, the squads were all mixed bags all proficient in one of the fields necessary for the rescue. Halvorn, Dorman and Gerston were to go with Alric while, Kastor joined Hakon's group, they prepared the attack within a few minutes as the Armoured columns roared past into the maelstrom of the Battle at the Steel Gates. But the Erathians had something even more exciting to do than to fight a battle of Attrition, they were of to rescue a famed Company from destruction.


	4. Chapter 4 : Ambush at the Fortel

**Chapter 4**

Thanos Campaign, 

Siege of Basilica Hereticus.

* * *

**_Outer City-Fortel Complex,_**

**_Efferit Building Courtyard._**

**_198th Cadian Kasrkin Squad_****.**

* * *

The courtyard was littered with rubble and broken bodies of heretic defenders lay peppered with las-shots, three Kasrkin from the 402nd Cadian trained their Hellguns as the advanced past the bodies firing at a few remaining heretics guards entering the courtyard from the far end, all meeting their dead comrades fates. The heretics hadn't offered much of a fight as a squad of ten Kasrkin had bested at least five times the number. The rest of the Squad soon left cover and advanced to the center of the yard as an imposing Cadian in the garb of a Kasrkin Sergeant holstered his Hellpistol unbuckled his helmet revealing a white chiseled face patched with grime from the winds of war, he had the noble nose and the wide set eyes that made him of the famed Cadian stock. All around him his men were piling the bodies and his Lance-Corporal Lanor was still repairing the Vox-Unit from the crash, the crashed Vulture, his Vulture.

"Sir, what now?" came an abrupt voice of his comrade, Corporal Helis.

"Burn the bodies, find any vox devices and try to get command on the line."

"Yes,sir!" said the Corporal affirmed as he saluted crisply to the Sergeant.

The sergeant proceeded to walk to the entrance of the courtyard, he gazed over to the vox-officer still repairing his equipment, the crash had damaged the unit extensively. He had said a few hours worth of repair was needed, provided the right parts were recovered. His mind soon flew back to the crash, the horrible crash which should never have happened. They were all ready and prepped for the drop. The Platoon...the platoon was split right in half. The damned traitor rockets, they had fired a salvo into the attack wing, all the Vultures of his Platoon were shot down and it seemed his squad was the only unit which had survived the crash, that was of course a few hours ago, the shock as not fully gone even with his standard of training. They were to reinforce some poor sod caught out in the open and ambushed by traitor units, even those Traitor Word Bearers were apparently skulking around. The very thought shook him. Now, they were like lost children in the wild, he had ordered his men into a easily defensible office courtyard, one way in and out. It was previously guarded by a Chimaera and a force of heretics, Gunny's Meltagun had made short work of the Chimaera and the rest were pushed into the Courtyard and cut into pieces by Hellguns in the closed space, three more attacks came from nearby patrols, all of them died, the latest was the last one to come in an hour or so. A sudden flush of heat from behind indicated the orders were being carried out, the smell of charred flesh and clothes assailed his nostrils violating the breath of the half-clean air.

"Sir, we have movement in sector three!" growled Arvin, Arvin had carefully placed trackers around the perimeter to warn them of any incoming attacks.

"More of them? What's their approach like?" he asked

"Uhh...hold on, sir. They seemed to be moving in a leaping formation, too tactical and cautious for the Heretics."

"One of ours?" he inquired, as he signaled to Roak to spot the uninvited guests.

"Maybe, or they...might...uhh..." the Corporal struggled to say the fact.

"What? Out with it man!" growled the sergeant.

"Chaos Marines?" asked out the scared newbie Trooper Henson.

"What are they?"

"Their signatures are too vague to interpret, it can be anything."

"Oh, no, no we are gonna die aren't we? Emperor save me."

The Trooper had not participated in most of the firefights, and was always kept in reserve, ever since he had joined the squad, their performance was down from hundred percent to fifty three percent in the training runs, all thanks to him, that too only in five weeks since the replacement of Hojin, the ex member, who died holding the evil Eldar at Ormest long enough for the Platoon to escape.

"Damn it man, what the hell is your problem? You are a Cadian, we live right next door to bloody Hell itself and you are bitchin over frakkin Traitor Marines? I should have you shot, you shit-eating Grox thumper! Get you head straight, Henson!"

"They are gonna kill us aren't they?" they pathetic Cadian whined

"Are you stupid boy?" growled Arvin

"We are gonna die!" he yelled in random desperation.

Suddenly the sergeant realized that he had walked over to Henson and was casting a broad shadow over him, staring the poor trooper down. In rage he drive his fist into the gut of the trooper, even through the carapace the punch had hit its mark, bringing the trooper to his knees, the Sergeant raised his steel-toed boot and swung it into his midriff with a sickening thump. The trooper was on the ground clutching his damages and accepting the punishment silently, the Sergeant knelt beside him and ripped of his helmet and plunged his fist into the face bloodying it, he bent over to his beaten face.

"I don't know how a pussy like you became a Kasrkin, it maybe the Governor daddy of yours or whatever, but son I assure you one thing. You try to wimp out or act like a bitch, I swear by the Throne, I will rip your balls of with my own hands and feed it to you! The Traitor Marines will be the least of you worries after I am done with you, trooper!"

The corporal was on the ground submissive to the Cadian Sergeant who got up to his feet and spat at him.

"Get your gear and prepare for battle, you are going to be my personal boy-shield, if they are Marines, and you fear them, you can face them...head on."

The trooper got his feet in pain and gathered his gear as quickly as he could. The boy's face was the picture of absolute horror as he kept looking at the sergeant as he walked away from him.

"Sir, they are ours." confirmed Roak from above.

"Looks like you got lucky Henson!" shouted Arvin, the squad burst into laughter at the comment.

"Be ready, but don't fire, you might spook 'em, alright boys just like we do it. Want some!.

"Get Some!" yelled the squad in reply.

* * *

_**Outer-City, **_

_**Fortel Complex**_

* * *

The streets were empty, here and there limp bodies lay dead, two traitor tanks lay at the far end in ruins charred black by a former battle. The building and the surrounding area was pockmarked with shrapnel and chunks of the buildings were ripped apart and strewn across the street, the whole place felt like a ghost town. The intended patrols and resistance were never encountered, regardless the Erathians force moved with caution, signs of recent battles were evident, and the ever, vigilant Garth had picked up on the pattern of attacks and co-ordinated ambushes, too organized for the heretics and too far from the front to be Traitor Marines in hiding, the only other option was Cadians, Kasrkin Cadians to be exact.

"They have done these bastards an honour!" said Hakon staring at the masterpiece of an ambush splayed out in front of him. Seven Heretic warriors shot in a line in the middle of the the street, they lay like exact copies of each other in a sick way.

"Sure have," replied Garth "Div, forward and left cover the flanks." he continued as he ordered his Subaedar.

"So where are the Cadians?"

"Hmmm...one wonders." said Garth in a smug way.

"Verias, get me a scopes on those roofs," ordered Hakon ignoring his comrades words, ",and someone find out where all this hellish static is from."

"Wonder what Alric's upto. eh?" Garth smiled "Let's find out Hakie."

Hakon checked his vox dial and fresh linking static buzzed in his ear, the buzzing was the assurance that the link was connected and secure.

"Officer Harth, what is Kilo Alphas status?"

"Sir, there is a report from Alric, seems they have run into a lot of resistance, but are getting assistance from other units." called in the Officer.

"What other Units? All the Cadians have advanced to the gates by now."

"Well...they seem to be shot down Stormtroopers, sir, all from the 132nd Company. They claim one of theirs went down near the Fortel Complex."

"Yeah, we know, we saw their handiwork. Very professional I must say." cut in Garth opening a new channel.

"You don't have to Garth, don't you have someone to hunt?" retorted Hakon at his interruption.

A dry laugh and a 'Yes,Sir!' echoed from behind Hakon as he realized Garth was leaving him to his duties.

"Very, well Harth back to monitoring, try to reroute any Erathian stragglers to the fields, we need to drip feed men to Bashir and his force."

"Yes, sir, but I don't think I have the authority to supply the orders compliance."

"Just tell them Hakon asked in a favour, they'll listen."

"Uh-huh, will do Lieutenant. Harth out."

Hakon deactivated the channel and turned around to join his Sergeants gathering the company for a quick march down to the end of the street, he could already see two scouts running up towards Garth, obviously with ill news. He cocked his Assault-las as he slammed in a fresh cell to the feeder, he proceeded to walk to his friend and comrade to see what was going on. A flash to his left cuaght his eye, he turned to face it just when a massive explosion ripped through a nearby building, the shockwave sent him flying ,like a ragdoll, across the street. He landed heavily on the concrete footpath and rolled a few feet before being stopped painfully by a metal street sign jutting from the concrete.

Hakon's eyes were open and bleeding, his irises shot across the length of the sky, trying to gain sense of what happend. It was an explosion, yes, to his left...or right? Body parts and pieces of his comrades lay strewn around him. An abrupt pain ripped through his back and utter senselessness descended in his mind, the pain, the flash. It was all too frequent in war. But this, he thought, this is where he will die, an inglorious death at the hands of a heretic ambuscade. Then Darkness.

* * *

**_Efferit Building Courtyard._**

**_198th Cadian Kasrkin Squad_****.**

* * *

A juddering explosion from the south end of the Complex shook the walls of the courtyard. The Cadians, ever ready, spread out and took up defensive positions across the yard, Helis advanced with a Krak charge and rigged it to the entrace of the courtyard. Arvin put his Hellgun in the backpack girdle and retrieved a long barreled rifle slung across his back. A class-3 Impaler 5-FFE Sniper Rifle to be exact, with a Unseen Eye class scope fitted to the stock, rifles of its kind were rare and expensive not many used it within the Imperium, save for the Temple Assassins, but Arvin was gifted the rare weapon as a sign of respect when he had sniped down an entire ten-man squad of Chaos Marines in Auxilis Septum and held off another Squad long enough for a Callidus Assassin to get his target and get out, thanks to the Kasrkin status he was promptly saved from the planet before Exterminatus. Arvin looked through the scope toward the southern blocks and saw a massive cloud of dust and smoke shaded by the orange flames which licked the streets and buildings. Bodies anything unlike the Heretics were strewn across the place, he concentrated carefully at the shoulderpads of the soldiers, Erathians, the blue long coats and green carapace armour With utter clarity he could see the dead and dying being shot point blank by massive figures in red...Chaos Marines.

He stared at the scene in horror for a moment before realizing he had to help them.

"Sarge, we got a stalled Erathian advance to the south, Traitor Marines have ambushed them." said a horrified Arvin still peering through the scope.

"What? Erathians? What the hell was that blast then." asked the Sergeant

"Dunno, they must have been waiting sir." yelled out Arvin

"As said before it's an ambush." confirmed Gunny, clutching his Meltagun.

"Alright we need to get to them, we stick here and we will be dead meat soon enough."

"Fair enough, Sarge. But we need a plan." added Roak

"I got one." replied Sarge.

* * *

_**Outer-City, **_

_**Fortel Complex**_

**_Ambush_**

* * *

A firm pair of hands grabbed Hakon's shoulders, he felt their grip like a Hawk's claw upon it's prey his legs were being dragged through the rough rubble encrusted footpath. The repeating chatter of gunfire echoed in his half aware brain, concrete and pieces of debris were thrown across his face as Bolt shells ricothched around him...them.

In a rush of air his lungs were full of oxygen, blood flooded into his systems a slight pain emanated from his chest slowly ascending pain, the familiar pain of a puncture, akin to an Adrenaline shot. He was now aware, a medic must have found him he quickly deduced, his crusted eyes slowly opened to the rush of smoke and light, he felt the sting of hot ashes and sparks landing on his hard face. Echoing voices rang in his head, voices directed at him.

"Werath, are you there?" yelled a blurred Erathian.

"Hakon, are you out mate?" asked a second.

"Wha...the.." Hakon felt his mouth give out and felt blood from his nose.

Suddenly he was up on his feet, he released his warriors grip on him as he got up. A plethora of sounds and lights which could only be battle sounds shattered into his sense like an avalanche. He was dragged behind a massive piece of wall which was detached from a nearby building.

"Damn it, what the hell happened?" he yelled over the din of a fierce firefight.

"Duck!" yelled a soldier beside them and a hand pressed down on Hakon's shoulder bringing him to his knees with his hands over his head.

"Lieutenant Hakon, we need to get out of here." said Subaedar Kashin

"Were we ambushed?" he asked nodding at the Subaedar's request.

"Yes, sir. Traitor Marines, in force. So much for the Intelligence eh?"

"Damn it, alright what sorta shit we in now, how many of those Frakkers?"

An Erathian slid over the cover from the battle and settled down beside them "Too many for my count sir!" ye replied

"Kastor, you made it. Glad to see you, mate!" Hakon said in all surprise to see his old Comrade.

"So how we gonna get out?" asked Kashin.

"Alright, this is the situation," said the Sergeant, "Three squads to the left and a Platoon to the right have survived the blast, we are in the middle."

Hakon carefully counted his warriors as he put on his helmet, there was less than thirty men with him, all of mixed companies, he saw only four other Erathians apart from the Subaedar and the Sergeant and himself. The Subaedar handed him a Data-Pad which indicated the Erathian dispositions, the larger part of the strike force was stuck on the other side of the rubbles and his detatchment was on their own for now.

"Alright, we do this by the book. Get the left and right and tell them advance on six overlap fires on each squads," he ordered as he pointed at a building behind them and continued, "we move to that building there form up, I saw some rockets with us. We pummel them until the rest of the force arrives and see to their deaths."

"They are Traitor Marines sir, and as mush as I hate to say it, theyre gonna be a tough nut to crack." said a concerned Kastor.

"Yes, they are Sarge, that's why we are gonna leave behind mines. Get it all and set up the place, all on my mark." he turned to the men and raised his chainsword in a smooth motion from his scabbard. "Thervani Arthum, Do or Die! Men!"

"Do or Die!" his men replied just when multiple explosions ripped from the enemy lines.

* * *

_**Outer-City, **_

_**Fortel Complex**_

**_198th Cadian Kasrkin Squad_****.**

* * *

"Move up, and pepper them with shots, it might take half a charge to gun one down," ordered the Cadian Sergeant over the vox-comm "but keep it concentrated, more of a chance to get em down."

"To arms, Cadians!" yelled Roak as he fired his Meltagun into the crowded Chaos Marines.

Grenades and Melta charges were thrown into the enemy, ceramite was crumpled under the force of the explosions and Melta's did their job melting through the heavier armored Terminator Marines. Molten Metal sealed their joints and fused power couplings, sparks and fires broke out on the armour as the circuits and systems were broken and destroyed by the sneak Cadian attack from the rear. As if to add to their troubles the Erathians spotted the chance and out they came.

"Be careful, allied units are closing in!" yelled Arvin over the vox.

The Cadians fought with pinpoint precision, Hellgun shots caught the enemy in their weak joints. Most of the Marines were still actively fighting, the Erathians fired in drilled volleys, stopping ever few meters to stop and fire, even though slow at firing the power of the shots was undeniable, it sheared through the ceramite and mists of blood erupted from the armour breaches, a Erathian leading the charge met the interest of the Cadian Sergeant, a Lieutenant, he thought to himself. He let the thougt hang as he trained his Hellgun and squeezed of a dozen shots into a Chaos Marine, the shots cratered the Power Armour plates, his men fought with drilled precision, he noticed Henson even firing needed shots unlike previous encounters were he just fired blind on full auto.

"Thervani Arthum! Strikers, Forward!" yelled the Lieutenant as he charged into the mess of battle against the traitor marines still recovering from the shock of the sudden attack by the Cadians, the melee was mostly one sided as the Erathians fell on them with utter fury, taking the initiative the Cadian Sergeant ordered a full advance, as one the squad unsheathed their powerswords and charged into the fray joining the fellow Warriors of the All-Mighty God Emperor. The next thing which happened was nothing short of a Massacre, a force of hundred and ten Erathians and a Squad of ten Kasrkin Stromtroopers had slaughtered well over three coteries of Word Bearers.

* * *

"Good killing, eh Cadian?" asked the stern voice of Lieutenant Hakon addressing the Sergeant.

"Indeed, Lieutenant! Glad we were able to kick some traitor backsides together."

Hakon laughed out loud at the comment, "A joke from a Cadian? I thought you guys were way too upyourselves."

"Oh, right, you Erathians and your jokes, eh?...'Mate'" he joked with sarcasm.

"Well," laughed the Erathian as he stretched his hand in a martial salute to the Cadian,"glad to have met you Soldier, I am at a debt to you. Now how may I address you Cadian?"

The Cadian grabbed the Erathian's in a martial handshake, "Sergeant Aiden Cestus, 2nd Kasrkin Legion, 304th Cadian Regiment, 132nd Company, 198th Kasrkin Squad." he said in the standard Cadian attention with his Hellgun held by the handle held across his chest tightly.

"Well, glad to have met you, Aiden Cestus." smiled Hakon.

"Well?" asked the Cadian.

"I am, Lieutenant Werath Hakon of the 17th Company"Strikers", 34th Regiment, 12th Erathian Army, Fourth Legion, Imperial Guard of the Holy Emperor." he smiled.

* * *

**So here's another installment of the adventures of Hakon and his Strikers 17th Company. Thank you for reading, R&R.**

**_Oh, and on a side note, special thanks to the Lone Hunter and his inclusion of my part of the fiction in his own reader acclaimed Battlegrounds saga. Thanks a lot TLH, you the man._**

* * *


	5. Chapter 5 : Assault on the Base

**Chapter 5**

Thanos Campaign, 

Siege of Basilica Hereticus,

* * *

**_Outer City-Fortel Complex,_**

**Adon Complex Courtyard**

**Strike Force** **Alpha**

* * *

Hakon grunted in exertion as he pulled the body of a dead heretic in the way of the bolter fire stitching a path towards him, the enemy had now effectively pinned him and his squad down as scores of heretics poured fire from the roof of the adajacent building. Werath looked around him and saw two unhelmed faces of young Erathian, shell shocked by the ambush they had hit moments earlier and the losses they suffered sas comrades were cut down in front of them. He cursed himself in his mind for leading his men into a virtual meat grinder, gunshots ripped into his eardrums as they impacted on the plascrete near his helm.

"Subaedar, Thenis and Kalon cover fire." Hakon yelled over the din of gunfire. "Jeras, Morian prep rockets and grenades." he swung his thumb toward the building. "Rest of you greenhorns, with me. We are gonna swing around and ring the doorbell."

"Yes, sir!" they yelled in unison and affirmation.

The men moved quickly behind Hakon in file as the others poured fire into the enemy positions, the manevoure was standard according to the doctrinal code, but the discipline usually is not upto the needed standard. But either way Hakon had complete faith in his men to carry it out without hesistation and proper precision, he bought hit thoughts back to the battle, shells from the stubbers peppered all around him.

"Alright, you know what to do."smiled Hakon as he spied the enemy through a crack near his head. He hefted his Assault Las with his right and signaled to the Erathians beside him with his left to get in position.

"Greenhorns, Free Fire!!" growled Hakon.

Multiple cracks from the Assault-Lases all around replied to his command, he bought his own weapon to bear and soon enough found himself adding his yelling to the chorus of shots. Dozens of bodies fell from the building as rockets and las-shots punched into the oppressive fortress of a building, but they were soon replaced by more enemy troopers. A sudden rush of air and a massive explosion turned that around as the building went up in flames and smoke, the Erathians were thrown to the ground from their cover from the shock of the explosion. Sudden shock struck the Squad of Erathians as the brightness and the loudness of the explosion had filled their Helmets before it was automatically sealed off due to the sensory overload, the helmets immediately dispensed Adrishot laced Oxygen in accordance with the situation.

Hakon was knocked flat by the blast and squirmed on the ground trying to get up, the blast had completely shattered the left side of the helmet and precious water and Adrishot Oxygen spilled out in a mist. He dragged himself from the ground and took of the burning hot helmet he threw it to away and brethed in huge gulps of air, he looked at his shaking hands for a moment and found the leathstel Gloves were torn and ripped and wet torn skin layhanging from his palm. The squad medic rushed to him with a piece of heal cloth and swabbed his hands with it.

"You, ok, Lieutenant?" the medic smiled

"Yea, Ill be fine lad."he replied grimly, he looked around and saw that the roar gunfire had stopped.

"We got em, eh?" he asked, but all of them looked around, presumably blankly beneath their helmets.

"Who the hell got em?" he asked again.

One of them men pointed at the sky, Hakon followed the finger as he gazed at the brown sky to see a pair of Valkyries hover down as rappels fell out its bellies, ten figures slid down from each of the ships as another Valkyrie landed in the rubble strewn courtyard. Hakon spied them all to be Cadians, not just any trooper, but the best, Kasrkin.

"Lieutenant!" yelled a big Kasrkin from the Valkyrie which had landed, Hakon stood up from the rubble and carefully analysed him.

"Cestus?" he asked, the Kasrkin closed in on him removing his helmet. A small smile crept on his face.

"Ha, now we are even...mate!" Aiden Cestus joked.

"Frak you!" Hakon swore as he waved his hand at Cestus, "I had those bastards until your sorry boy...I mean glory boys came along."

"Glory Boys eh? That we are Wer, that we are!"

"Yeah if it wasn't for that you, mate, will prolly never get laid in camp." said the Subaedar handing Hakon a new pair of leathstel Gloves.

The Kasrkin laughed it off as he patted the Subaedar, he signaled his men to the Erathian wounded and dead, they proceeded to take them and pile them into the Valkyrie. Hakon nodded a thanks to him as he retrieved his Assault-Las.

"Now what?" Hakon asked the Kasrkin.

"Continue. We are less than a mile from the Warblade Armoured Company."

"Subaedar, get me Garth on the vox." ordered Hakon

* * *

**Outer-City Limits**

**Esma Sector**

* * *

The Strike Force, now reinforced by Aiden's Kasrkin Platoon, proceeded to rally near the west-end of the Fortel Complex, the large expanse between the Eresh and Kijath Buildings served a perfect spot for the footmen of the Strike force to muster quickly and rest after two day's of relentless fighting. they had just over three hundred troopers too launch the final push. Between them and their final marker, the Overbridge, lay a Heretic forward post, wiping them out was the easy part but the then there was sabotaging the bridge and cutting of all reinforcements to the field where the Warblade Company was trapped. The Kasrkin were chosen to patrol and scout out the enemy position's, Cestus had volunteered to cook up a stratregy sound enough to assault the enemy position.

"Set up mortars along the terraces," ordered Garth to the Subaedars beside him as he pointed at the surrounding buildings,"And get some snipers up there."

"Vergon's Boys'll do it." Hakon added checking his las-cell for charge.

"Cestus, needs you, sir." crackled the vox on both their earbeads.

"Who?", they asked in unision.

"Both of you, sirs."

With that reply the Erathians looked at each other, Garth shrugged flexing his broad muscled shoulders and smiled. They both locked and sealed their helmets with a familiar hiss of the nodes connecting with the outlets in the suit. The two Liuetenants walked down the busy street crowded with Erathian Troopers and a few Cadians of the platoon preparing for the assault, two Subaedars were busy overlooking their squads field-stripping and cleaning their weapons while another pair where sorting out the rations, the Sergeants were busy inquiring each of the platoons weapons and troop dispostions, all with dataslates ready in hand, either to get the info or to whack some unsuspecting trooper for being a bit too lazy. There was a lot of that going around.

Garth and Hakon finally reached a small picket line at the end of the street, the troopers there gave them a lazy salute, their in-charge Corporal was sprawled across an old mattress in deep-sleep, most of the others were looking like the half-dead, thanks to the two days of sleep-deprivation. Hakon walked over in all conviction and landed a painful aimed kick at the Corporal's arse.

"Up and about gentlemen!" said Hakon. "We don't want to be caught sleeping now, do we Corporal Akson?"

The startled corporal rose in pain rubbing his aching backside damaged by the steel toed boot of the Liuetenant, the others around the post quickly rose to the challenge of their senior officer and were about their posts in seconds. A wicked smile flashed in Garth's face as they fell into position, he nodded to Hakon as they proceeded toward Cestus's men.

Three Cadian Sniper groups were silently waiting and watching the enemy movements in their forward camp from a high rising embankment rising to the south of the base. The enemy had heavily dug into the position and were positioning field guns and Autocannon emplacements all around the base, atleast a Battalion of men were housed within the Barracks and five Malcador Heavy Tanks were parked toward the bridge and four Chimaeras were parked toward the forward gate facing the west-end of the Esma Sector.

Hakon and Garth ran up the embankment and lay beside one of Cestus's men, Arvin, the Sniper Team leader.

"How is the front?" asked a cheerful Garth

"The same, except there seems to be a whole lotta diggin' and armin' round here." he replied, "Take a look." he said handing them the Magnocoluars from his bag.

"Wow, you're right lotta diggin', you think they know of us?" asked Hakon.

"It's their city, so I would say so.." Arvin suddenly stopped and peered into his Sniper scope "What the hell are they doing?"

Three of the Tanks immediately started and began heading to the exit, there were shouts and gunshots from the east, Arvin swept his Impaler across the area toward the sound, what he saw bought bile into his mouth. Dozens of Cadians of the 402nd being chased from the buildings across from the Eclas Complex by Heretic warriors, and they were being slaughtered in droves, his Team and the Lieutenants watched in horror as the brave men were cut down, a few dozen tried to make a stand but the three tanks from the base joined in crushing the men under their treads, they were caught in between the enemy lines of fire, heretic troops surged from the barracks a short melee ensued and the massacre of the Cadians were complete as dozens lay dead on the field between the complex and the base, a single tear ran down Arvin's eyes when he saw the livery of the Cadian flag, it was of the 132nd 'Bullers' Battalion. His brother's Battalion.

* * *

**Outer-City Limits**

**Base Assault**

* * *

The Erathians resolved to attack as soon as possible after witnessing the massacre of the Cadians on the field, the attack was split into two groups, one led by Garth the other by Hakon. The first group was to assault the gate while the Cadian sniper teams and Mortar teams covered them while Hakon swung around and hit the flank right where the barracks were located, the twin pronged assault was to suffocate the enemy with overwhelming firepower and speed. Cestus readied his Cadians for the battle as the Mortar positions were being readied across the line of fire, three captured field-cannons were being prepared by the heavy weapons squad, it was their best bet against the Malcador class tanks of the enemy. The assault would begin as soon as the first sentries around the now relaxed base were taken out, surprise and power was the key.

The small sound that emitted from the Heretic's mouth was insignificant as a whole as another Impaler round punched through his lung. Arvin grinned to himself as the target went down and another target marker appeared on flagged targets, he oversaw the whole process from his advantageous position, he saw the Erathians moving with unrivaled precision and drill, even at less than a hundred meters the enemy were unable to spot them. Two more icons flashed across his visor he swung his rifle tracking the targets and squeezed of two successive shots into a line of seven troops and the officer leading them to investigate the disturbance at the sentry posts. Hakon's gruff voice came on the vox initiating the shelling, from the south Arvin heard the low thumps of mortars firing and the increasing whine of the mortar shells as they ripped through the air, the special munitions exploded before hitting the ground releasing explosive canisters held within its frame, the first shells scored enormous casualties amongst the heretic troops out of the barracks, more fell from the sky crushing and crippling the tanks which were parked, he spied three tank crews on fire as a fuel tank exploded. A vengeful thought crossed his mind and an angry smile split his face as Hakon ordered the AT guns up.

* * *

Hakon looked on patiently as the sentries around the perimeter fell one by one as the silent snipers slowly picked them of, the last of the sentries within his sight fell from their posts dead, he bought up his helmet vox and spoke the trigger word for the assault.

"The Emperor's eyes are open." he whispered into his vox.

"MT-101, code 1-22903-002923TX." he heard the confirmation code, "All units fire at will!"

Thirty low thumps from his south was followed by the usual whining of the mortar shells as they sailed through the air, within a second the base was engulfed in a fiery explosion, dirt and plascrete were thrown into the air as the base was shattered by the withering hail of mortar, he looked left to his Subaedar's commanding the AT Cannons and bade them forward with a hand sign, he looked to Halvorn beside him.

"Get ready, we move!" he ordered. Hakon made the Aquila and charged his Assault-las "This is for the Bullers! Charge!"

The Erathians broke cover and close to ninety Erathian Troopers charged across the road toward the base Hakon at the forefront personally leading the charge as he always strove to do, behind them the AT guns opened up firing into the perimeter walls and the few bunkers beside it, a handful of heretics managed to form a firing line though but soon enough they found a 75mm Shell exploding amongst them. The Heretics were still mustering when Hakon reached the breach in the perimeter, bodies torn and ripped carpeted the plascrete, he ordered his squads forward and with frightening efficiency they gunned down dozens of heretics as they poured through the breach, to the bases left he spied another breach and watched as Garth's men poured in with the rest of their strength, vengeful Cadians amongst their number led by the massive Sergeant Cestus they cut down a stream of troops streaming out of the barracks, they fell like dominoes Hakon had seen at Carganis, he looked about as he fired to see no one had fallen and the murderous mortars still fired tanking out the chimaeras in perfect cohesion to the advance, he shot a bewildered heretic in the face as he exited a bunker. A mortar shell crashed nearby throwing a few Erathians into the air and threw them into a shoddy Guardpost, he quickly got on his vox

"Mortars, ceasefire! Ceasefire, now! You are hitting us Damn it!"

"Sorry, sir! Ceasefire all units comply to Ceasefire!"

Immediately the mortars stopped and the thuds and the explosions stopped, yet the slaughter continued, they enemy were being torn to pieces as droves fell to the scything fire from the Imperials, the few that tried to escape met their end by their own Auto cannon defenses manned by Erathians, within the next few minutes the purge was complete, the few tanks that had tried to fight were disabled by the AT-Guns and grenades.The base was destroyed and the victory complete.

No one had escaped and all were put to death, officers of the enemy were lined up, details taken from those who talked and were shot like the rest. Cestus personally interrogated the Commander of the base and sliced him to death with his blade, the Cadians went around stabbing corpses and torturing the survivors like their comrades were on the field not too long ago justice was done and the servants of the God-Emperor had prevailed.

Hakon looked onto the bridge as Erathians rigged the bridge with explosives and Melta charges retreived from the base, they were fully stocked on charges and ammunition, Cestus had managed to find three uncorrupted trucks captured from the 42nd Cadian Mechanized Division and were using it to tow the cumbersome field guns. Hakon smiled at the thought of the earlier battle how complete it was, the Heretics were taken by complete surprise and close to a thousand soldiers were slaughtered by less than a hundred and fifty men, they had plans to sweep up the beleaguered Tank battalions flank and encircle them entirely, the very thought of such a loss, a Baneblade at that shocked him.

"How was my performace?"came Garth's deep voice breaking Hakon's thought.

"Marginal, unlike my skillful display of tactics: Run and Gun!" boasted Hakon with a smile.

"Yea, all the way mate!" mocked Garth, "Was shelling your own men part of the plan?"

"Comon, mate, noone got killed!"

"You put Jonas and his squad in the medicae truck!" Garth protested.

"Comon mate, theyre just trying on their usual stunts."

"Ah Mate!" Garth growled as he slapped his freind on the shoulder, "Any news of Alric?"

"Yeah, he hit a snag, similar base, took it out in an hour, there is a lot of them reinforcing enemy positions where Bashir and his tanks are stuck." he said with a nod.

"Bashir and his boys can hold for a couple of hours longer." cut in Cestus, "I have faith in him, he helped us back in Garjumond Defile."

"That was your platoon calling for assistance?"

"Oh, yeah! One helluva fight that was!"

"I was close by, that moron Orvan led you guys into a death trap." said Hakon.

Garth stared at Cestus "Orvan? Is that asswipe in command now?"

"You know him?"

"Know him?" laughed Garth, "I put him on Court Martial for abandoning a Machine gun post way back in the days of Ulthaos Campaign when he was a Cadian Officer and my unit was attached to his, bastard is an A-grade son of a bitch!"

The Subaedar's around them started laughing along with Cestus and Hakon at the jest.

"Any way." said Hakon as the laughter ceased "we need to advance as quick as possible."

"Yes, we do, we have a Squadron of enemy Tanks incoming from the north."

"Ambush?" asked Garth with a smile.

"No! We need to get to Bashir, Alric is ready for the killing stroke, we can't keep him waiting."

"True, but..."

A massive explosion from across the bridge cut Cestus of they Erathians and the Cadians ran across the base and climbed up the watchtower, two sentries looked on flabbergasted at the source of the explosions.

"What the hell is happening?" inquired Hakon

"Tanks, sir lots of em!"

"Enemy?" asked a tense Cestus

"No, sir! They just got blasted." a sound of glee filled his voice "It is the Astartes!"

A loud swoosh from overhead confirmed the Sentry as a Thunderhawk bearing the insignia of the Imperial Fists made a pass near the bridge and landed next to the ruins of the barracks, two Dozen Astarte armoured in yellow power armour exited the ship followed by a massive Astartes dressed in the garb of a Brother-Captain followed by six Terminator armoured warriors, around them were the awestruck Erathians staring in disbelief as the Astartes walked toward the Sentry post where Hakon stood.

"Uhh, what now?" asked a nervous Cestus.

"We greet them, and appraise them of the situation?" asked Hakon

Garth just nodded "Sweet Emperor! Never met something so close to Him on Terra."

The men slowly got down from the sentry post, Hakon got on his knee but the Captain rushed to get him up.

"What are you doing freind?"

"Prostrating myself, sir! For you are the flesh and blood of the Emperor, beloved of all, and there is no one more I admire and worship than the God-Emepror!"

Surprised the Captain removed his helmet revealing an ancient scarred face testament to the many wars he had fought in the name of the Emperor, four service studs were gleaming on his bald scalp reflecting what sunlight the smog from the war allowed, the face was brave and fearsome at the same time, something quite terrible and peaceful, much beyond the Erathian's understanding.

The Captain simply smiled to him and put a hand on Hakon's shoulder, "What is your name, Erathian?"

"I am Lieutenant Werath Hakon of the 14th Company 'Strikers', 203rd Heavy Infantry Battalion, 42nd Erathian Assault Regiment, 3rd Erathian Guard Legion, my Lord!"

"And you?" he asked looking at Cestus and Garth

"I am Lieutenant Erkon Garth of the 7th 'Hunters' Company, 203rd Heavy Infantry Battalion, 42nd Erathian Assault Regiment, 3rd Erathian Guard Legion, Lord!"

"I am Sergeant Aiden Cestus of the 198th Squad, 44th Platoon, 12th 'Shredder' Company, 4th Stormtrooper Battalion, 402nd Cadian Regiment, 14th Cadian Armoured, 40th Cadian Grand Imperial Army, my Lord!"

"Come warriors of the Emepror we have much to do to rid this world of he filth that covers it in the name of the Emperor!"

* * *


	6. Chapter 6 : Breakthrough

* * *

Thanos Campaign, 

Siege of Basilica Hereticus,

* * *

**Foran Complex Courtyard**

**Strike Force** **Alpha**

**Breakthrough**

**

* * *

**

"Covering fire!" yelled a trooper as he unleased a volley of crimson las beams into the enemy building, scores of his comrades rushed past him from the alleyways for a better source of cover while firing up into the balconies and windows of the occupied buildings, dozens of dead heretics were piling up on the plascrete footpath as they tried to meet the Erathians head on and failed. Three troopers were hit as they were finding cover but the resilient men of the 14th Company pulled their wounded comrades from the line of fire.

A massive well built Subaedar emerged from the darkened alleyway lugging a massive Autocannon followed by another group of troopers, he put his hand on the lone trooper still covering his squad-mates running for cover, the trooper immediately turned and nodded, as if reacting to a predestined code. The big Subaedar pulled him away into cover as the trooper position was showered with bolter shells.

"Once you get to the other side, get some rockets up there." yelled the Subaedar over the din of fire, pointing toward the heavy bolter emplacement

"Yes, sir! What about the tanks?"

"Get a message to Air-Command" he replied looking up at the sky as another pair of Vultures screamed past firing at some distant unknown enemy.

The trooper simply nodded and knelt beside the pockmarked wall protecting him, it was riddled with las shots and bullet holes the size of his fist. He clutched his Assault Las tight and silently mouthed a prayer to the Golden Throne.

"On my Mark Trooper Ario." ordered the Subaedar, the trooper nodded. "All right crew, time for glory. Strikers! Thervani Arthum!"

With a terrible shout the massive Subaedar broke cover and began filling the building with high velocity explosive tipped rounds into the building while following his men into cover, the troopers darted from the alleyways as ordered to. Ario reached for the nearest trooper with a rocket tube and gave him his targets, the rocket trooper nodded in reply.

The man with the vox made it across the street without a scratch; Ario took the earpiece and dialled the code for the Sky-Command. A sudden shout erupted from his left, some one yelled something about tanks closing in. He did not have much time.

"Breaker-6, this is Clover-4 requesting immediate support. We are pinned in position. Heavy tanks deployed near building layout 6B reference on 41st Block Street. Requesting special rounds."

"By His Will! This is Breaker-6. Copy that Clover-4. Suggestion for armour type. Ammo type will be in accordance. Firing solution, crucial. Praise Him on Terra."

"Praise the Emperor, signal relayed on channel 34245-Oli. Praise to Him on Terra."

With that two troopers with Auspex units in their hands broke cover and began scanning the area, and designating markers onto the targets, bolter and las fire greeted them but the cover fire ensured the enemy aim was disrupted and their comrades were not harmed. But the situation was grim; the next volley may kill them off for good. One of the heretic tanks swivelled its turrets trying to bear its shells on the Auspex wielding Erathians, but a timely krak missile launched into the fixture of the turret and the weak armour gave way to the explosion, the tank was sheared in half by the strategic shot, the Erathian hollered and shouted praise at the act.

"Erathians on me cover them!" yelled Ario as he fixed his bayonet and charged at the enemy from cover.

The charge as glorious and bloody, thirty troopers of the 14th company charged the enemy almost ten times their number, it was for the one thing that could tip the balance in this area to the favour of the Imperial advance.

Bullets rang past them and clipped a few here and there, men fell clutching at gaping wounds and the enemy died for this retaliation, rockets shot from the ragged Erathians as chunks of masonry were torn down in a fireball, burning the enemy or crushing them to their deserved deaths.

In a sudden rush of heat and sound, five deadly comets smashed into the building, dozens more followed as the Tanks down the road erupted in flames. The support had arrived. Across the street dozens of other Erathians from the 7th Company poured forth reinforcing the position, a squadron of Imperial Fist Predator tanks erupted from the enemy lines mowing down the heretic and the traitor in terrible seeps of their weapons. The way forward to Commander Bashir's Tank Company was clear.

Hakon looked on as additional guardsmen from the 5th and 6th Erathians Regiments poured into the assault column; the behemoth Leman Russ tanks rolled past the blocks of infantry, still Hakon could hardly believe his luck, somehow an entire strike force had been dedicated to his rescue mission, by the will of some greater benevolence no doubt, Hakon thought to himself as he removed his helmet.

The stench of death was great as piles of the dead were put to the torch, amongst them he spotted the ragged pieces of ceramite, Traitor Astartes. He walked through the knots of men readying themselves for the coming push, this would see the traitors grip on this outer city and the inner city crushed. Then they may be able launch a full-scale assault on the western walls of the citadel and end the heretics' wretched grip on the planet.

The Imperial forces were definitely close to Commander Bashir's Warblade Company as the telltale signs of the trap and the cordon of the Armour company became clear, already much needed supplies and ammunition had been getting through as the encirclement was broken on the 41st Block street, the weakest part of the line. The High Command had ordered Commander Orvan to lead a force of two mixed Guardsmen Regiments a Armoured Regiment to reinforce the Erathian strike teams, Alric was greatly reinforced by a Squadron of Kasrkin Cadians and a company of Tanks from the 402nd Armoured Division. They were all set and ready like the pieces on the board on the Regicide game.

A sudden terrible sound enveloped Hakon's senses as he instinctively looked eastward to the siege lines, he saw massive lighting like explosions amongst the guns, unexpected artillery support, Hakon told himself. At least this ought to thin the ranks of the arch-enemy.

"Point Three-Mark!" yelled an artillery officer. A young man in the uniform of a Cadian artilleryman nodded scanning his datapad.

"Mark and set!" confirmed the young man "On your command, sir!"

The Cadian Officer looked to the skies to see trails of fire hurtling through the atmosphere, first it was a few score then it became dozens, a thin much anticipated smile crossed the grim face, he turned to his battery and unsheathed his curved sabre, he lifted it to the skies and mouthed a sacred prayer and blessing on the Astartes.

"Fire!" he thundered as he chopped his sabre down, three massive Redeemer cannons fired in unison all across the line dozens more cannons sounded as the shells began to rain at the remnants of the enemy at the western part of the inner city, soon after the west is cleared the Citadel will fall and with it the wretched world upon which they stood.

* * *

**Rescue of the Warblade**

**Westfield**

**

* * *

  
**

The lines of Erathian infantry with Cadians and armour erupted from the buildings west of the field and began linking with the stranded armour company out in the open, they were greeted by a few scattered squads of heretic anti tank troops, the overlapping fields of fire formed by the Erathians eased the Cadian advance through the field, burnt out wrecks of the unlucky imperial and chaos tanks served as cover as hundreds of Imperial soldiers flooded the field.

The Buildings toward the east suddenly bustled with activity, hundreds of troops from the other Strike force approached through the thickest part of the encirclement, dozens of tanks led the charge crashing apart the offensive muster of Word Bearer and heretic tanks. The lone company of tanks had taken a terrible toll on the attackers as the enemy remains indicated, but the company itself had been badly mauled, for well over two days they were hounded by a cunning and numerably superior force of heretics and Traitor Marines. Now however the tables were turned, surprise reinforcements had arrived; hundreds upon hundreds of troops and dozens of tanks had spearheaded a Strike force to drive deep into the enemy encirclement and effectively break it. But the enemy were not bowed easily.

In a whirlwind of fire and death a massive armoured force broke from the encirclement and the enemy began to advance toward the imperial forces, warriors in great gore armour poured forth from the vast buildings as other heretics swelled up from the flanks of the buildings, great tanks came forth firing their weapons at the enemy destroying great swathes were launching a massive counter-attack trying to maintain their advantage of fighting a surrounded enemy. This sudden and massive attack had caught the warriors of the emperor of guard, men were shredded by the terrible fire as dozens were caught unprepared under the treads of the enemy tanks. It was all a great trap.

**The Battle for Westfield**

Hakon retrieved a Meltagun from the dead hands of a Cadian trooper, he thumbed the charger rune and in a practiced motion swung up the weapon training it onto the enemy Dreadnought, the great half beast half machine monstrosity was carving through the Cadian assault squads with no hindrance, las shots barely made a scratch on the plasteel and ceramite alloy of the dreadnought armour, one of the officers ahead of Hakon tried to stick magna-charges onto the three meter behemoth, but the giant was the wiser the power claw on its left arm swung around gripping the charge and throwing it on an enemy tank, within moments pile of twisted metal stood in its stead.

A low growl emanated from the monster which picked the officer up with the claw and crushed it, all the while peppering the advancing enemy with hundreds of bolt rounds, chests exploded and limbs shattered, men of the Cadian 402nd died in the wanton bloodshed. With a growl of exertion Hakon ran at the dreadnought, he triggered the weapon in his hands, a concentrated beam of atomically charged material called the super heated Melta erupted in a low whine from the gun splattering onto the back of the armour, splashes of metal and parchment blasted from the impact of the charge, a great growl of anger and anguish screamed from the beast as it brushed aside guardsmen within reach. Hakon was stunned by the cry of anger forcing him to his knees the Meltagun dropping from his grip, he looked up as the keen roar subsided, the machine thing was facing him.

Hakon dropped flat on the ground as a power claw swung toward his head, he silently rolled over to the meltagun thrown behind the wreckage of a wrecked Imperial Tank as he did, there was the familiar, sound the heavy bolter on the Dreadnoughts arm screech and click as fresh bullets reloaded the weapon, he swore under his breath as the thing looked around for him.

"Where art thou, manling?" the thing growled in high gothic to Hakon's surprise. "You dare strike at a Son of Lorgar! Now feel the wrath of Brother Margon!" it yelled as it fired the heavy bolter randomly at the wreckage and bodies around the field.

Hakon breathed heavily waiting for the moment to strike; he heard the thing move forward with a steady growl. Without a second thought he broke cover and ran across toward another wrecked tank, the thing immediately began strafing its weapon toward him, while Hakon fired his Melta into the dreadnought a sudden blast behind him threw him toward the beast thing. Werath swore again as he rose up to his feet, pain shot through his body, he gripped the gun tightly in his hand ready to see the machine thing off.

To his surprise he saw the dreadnought twisted and broken, melting plasteel flowed like shimmering rivulets down the ruin of the machine thing, men who survived the ordeal approached Hakon and the ruin with caution. The lieutenant stepped over the twitching beast. The front casing was melted apart and the contents inside was visible.

He knelt down and peered through the mist of smoke, he saw two red eyes staring back at him; those carried something astonishing and terrible. He reached for his blade and thumbed the activation rune, the weapon buzzed into life within his hand.

"Traitor Marine pray for forgiveness from the God-Emperor!" he demanded

"Traitor? Your false Emperor is the traitor to the whole Great Crusade!"

"Foul knave!" yelled at the naming of his God and plunged the blade into the shattered corpse within the Sarcophagus. A foul cry emanated from the innards as his blade struck the fiend who was the Word Bearer.

A massive Word Bearer swatted Hakon of the sarcophagus, more of his kind approached from behind him firing their weapons at the Imperial advance. Hakon shook of the impact and pain and clutched his blade handle, he reached for his backpack and retrieved his charged Assault-las all about him Cadians and Erathians rallied, he sung his blade high and urged the men forward with a great shout in Erathian at his lips he charged "Thervani Arthum!"

The skies suddenly burned red as meteor like objects trailing terrible smoke and fire, great pods of steel smashed into the ground throwing up mud and greenery, Astartes of the Imperial Fists, Ultramarines, Salamanders and a host of other chapters made planetfall. The imperials encouraged by reinforcements in the form of the Adeptus Astartes they pushed forth with all their strength. The Word Bearers were all that was left of the traitor force as the last of the heretics were crushed under the pods of the Imperial Astartes and the armour of the enemy was finally overcome by the superior numbers and timed air strikes, with a singular purpose the Word Bearers sallied forth yelling fell oaths and litanies of vengeance to meet the Imperials in a torrent of bloodshed and slaughter, the Battle on the West field was to be decided.

The battle was a short bloody affair, hundreds of Imperial Guardsmen charged and died in swathes in front of drilled firing from the Word Bearers, but the gaps were immediately filled by the hulking forms of the Adeptus Astartes. At the head of the charge was Second Company of Imperial Fists led by Captain Marius Veneris behind them were dozens of squads of other chapters all firing their guns and meeting the enemy in a glorious battle.

Hakon was amongst them with his men hacking and slashing at the towering enemy warriors, he shot his rifle indiscriminately at the crowd of enemies, he relished in the battle, the line of Word Bearers bent backwards beneath the sheer assault by numbers of both Imperial Astartes and the brave Guardsmen of Cadia and Troopers of Erathia.

The Imperials were prevailing as a final great charge was led by the Salamanders from the left flank firing their multi-Melta and plasmas into the packed enemy killing scores in a single shot, bolter fire raked the Word Bearers as they fell in droves to the relentless assault, within moments the enemy were crushed, last of the Word Bearers fell defiantly to the Imperial Fist Captain's chainsword. The Imperials had achieved a great victory and a massive breakthrough in the enemy lines, the citadel was now ready to be surrounded and destroyed the liberation of Thanos was close to completion. But little did the Imperium's warriors no what was to await them.

* * *

Well here we go again with another chapter, the citadel will soon fall so dont worry! Its all in the next Chapter!

BTW watch for the new Word Bearer tale I am working on, the teasers up so let me know how you feel about it.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7: Messages

Thanos Campaign,

Siege of Basilica Hereticus,

**Bad News, Good Breakfast**

The slow smoke rose from the dying camp fire, men awoke to the thundering rumble of the early artillery salvo. They were greeted with the gruff voices of their fully dressed and prepared superiors who were kicking them up. They rubbed their sore backsides and their tired eyes. Finally after three days of near continuous battle and fatigue they had finally gotten a full eleven hours sleep thanks to the recommendation of both (now Colonel) Bashir and the Captain of the Imperial Fists to the High Command. Orvan reluctantly agreed, but at a cost.

Hakon chomped down on the grox fillets and sausages with utter delight, a scoop full of scrambled eggs landed on his plate. This was real food, he had not eaten proper food for over a month, far removed from the paste rations of the guard, he relished in the taste of cooked meat and fluffy scrambled eggs. All around him the Subaedars and the Sergeants also dug into the meals, there was so much food that they had to share with the other companies. Halvorn smiled at Hakon as his eyes fell on him, bits of food fell from his mouth as he stuffed himself. There something strange about it Hakon thought, why would they get A-Class rations from the apparent 412th Supplicor Regiment?

He felt a Cadian hand guiding it, possibly Cestus, but he doubted it once he knew that his entire Task Force were heading for orbit due to some orbital disturbance. They were once a company created for boarding actions, Aiden had once stated.

"Lieutenant, sir!" saluted Sergeant Kastor as he stomped his foot to attention.

"Mornin' Kastor. At ease" he said with a mouthful of eggs "What's the matter won't you join us?"

"Sir, Uhh…I don't know how to say this but…we found something in the boxes the food came in."

Hakon swallowed a mug full of steaming caffeine and burped, "What did you find? Caramel Cakes?"

"No, Sir. It is just…."

"What?" asked Hakon a strange sense swept over him, something bad was coming, he knew it in his full gut. "Won't you usually be busy requisitioning resources and ammunition from the troopships about now?"

"Uhh…they haven't been talking back, there was a big battle in the orbit last night, so strict silence up there."

"I see…battle?" asked Hakon to which, Kastor nodded

"We slept through it sir." Kastor added.

"So what did you find?"

"There was a note in it, sir." He said retrieving a piece of paper from his pocket, "You might want to read it in private."

"Really?" Hakon raised an eyebrow as he took the note and read over it. His face suddenly changed from the serene to one of frustration.

"Halvorn, with me in the Command Tent." He stared at him long enough for Halvorn to realize amidst stuffing of food. "Now! Halvorn!" yelled Hakon.

The tent was small and cramped, all the vox-equipment of the company and the Las Charger packs were crammed around making the tent more cramped. A massive table with marked and pinned maps sprawled across it, a divider and a pen lay on them. Hakon was up all night planning his next assault.

"It's the Commissar, Halvorn, he's back messing with us!" screamed Hakon as soon as he entered the tent.

A dumbstruck Halvorn was caught totally unprepared for the outburst, he stood there staring at Hakon who was now about the tent punching the equipment and throwing the maps of the table. He knew why, perfectly well infact, all about the Commissar and his damn sanction, All those years ago.

Halvorn immediately grabbed his arms and pushed him toward the table restraining him completely with his superior strength, "Hak, calm it down!" he shouted over Hakon's venting anger.

"Why? He is coming for us." Whispered Hakon, "He's gonna finish what he started, he's gonna destroy the Regiment!" he cried "Tha…that old bastard should've died!" Sweat and tears covered his face as he reminisced about Colonel Karath, Lieutenant Venao, Chelman, and Desra. Halvorn knew all too well. "Rashid should've died on Verik." He agreed.

"Well he did!" came a calm voice from the tent entrance, the Erathians turned to see an intimidating figure in the garb of a Imperial Commissar of the Imperial Guard of the God-Emperor.

A high hat with the imperial eagle pinned on it, a skull with wings on his silver breastplate, a plethora of medals and ribbons hung from it, he was tall and well built his massive shoulders carried the black and red insignia of a Erathian Captain. A massive blade hung from his waist and a bolt-pistol was sheathed strapped to his thigh. His gloved hand rose to his chest in a martial salute.

"Good morning Lieutenant Werath Hakon of the Erathian 7th Company 'Strikers'." He smiled relishing the confusion in the faces of the Erathians. "It seems I have interrupted some bonding ritual?" he smirked after a pause.

"Who…who are you?" stammered Hakon drawing to his full height.

"Not even a salute to your political officer?"

Hakon immediately formed the Aquila on his chest and gave a martial salute stamping his feet, his fist to his chest. Halvorn mirrored his action.

"Good. Now to answer your question, I am Commissar-Captain Isaac Rashid. I bring grave news of your…our regiment."

"Our regiment, commissar?" dared Halvorn.

"Yes, our regiment, mine and yours, sergeant." His manner became serious as he walked toward the Erathians. He put his heavy hand on Hakon and said something that shattered him to the very core. "Hakon, our regiment…is gone!" he declared.

Hakon stared at him in disbelief, "What….the…the Regiment is fine!"

"Last night the imperial fleet was engaged from behind by a massive chaos fleet intent on breaking the siege of Thanos…we lost the troops ships _Nikolai_ and_ Alexius_ among others, a lot of guardsmen were…martyred for the cause."

"_Nikolai_…Oh, Emperor Protect us! How Commissar? How?" cried Halvorn. Hakon was too astonished my the magnitude of the revelation to speak.

"The ships were in deployment procedure, there was no way they could've done anything about the attack, they were caught out." Isaac explained.

"Did…did anyone, make it?" Hakon finally asked.

"Colonel Varan and the three-thousand Erathians in orbit were lost, one other company luckily were enroute to the surface when it happened. I think it was the 9th Company under a Lieutenant Taran Kioth."

"Lucky 'Aces' always make it, sir." said a somewhat relieved Halvorn. But still the bitterness from the loss of his regiment was burining within him. "So what now?"

"Well your Regiment is inactive, the entire command staff where wiped out with most of the troops. Only your company, the 8th, the 14th and the 9th have survived, I was sent here to rally your companies and see what we can salvage out of the loss." He trained his eye back to Hakon, "I am told that you hold quiet a level of respect and honour within the regiment, so I chose you to be the first to know. I will be on my way soon to break it to the rest of the companies."

"A bit blunt, isn't it commissar?" said Hakon rage building in his eyes once more.

"Blunt, Lieutenant?"

"Giving us that Breakfast to soften us for the hard news?"

"Well, I had to bring it into…."

"What Commissar, you think we can't handle the truth? We can handle it!" he shouted, "We lost all the things that is close to us, we were hammered for the last five days again and again, yet we made a bloody battalions worth of work clearing the inner and outer hab locations and complexes." He walked toward the entrance and looked at his men about the makeshift camp preparing for the new day "By the Name of the God-Emperor, Commissar!" he swore "We can go on, lest you want us dead!"

"Are you afraid of death?" asked an amused Commissar his black orbs piercing into him.

Hakon contemplated the words and understood what the Commissar meant, "Not any more, sir. Not any more!"

"Music to my ears, Lieutenant!" Commissar Rashid ended as he shuffled past Hakon out of the tent.

The news of the Regiments loss hit the troopers so hard that most of them simply dropped what they were doing to hear the news of their beloved regiment's utter destruction, some cried for the lost for the lost, some stayed quiet, but most demanded blood in retaliation and vengeance. The cries went up through the camps of the three Erathian companies, they were as determined as ever to see this battle through.

The remnants of the Erathian Strike Force were now under the new and complete command of Commissar-Captain Isaac Rashid, they companies were to cut their losses and simply advance toward the forward line were the 9th company 'Aces' were deployed, the Commissar had done his best to meet with all the troopers and instill his authority, and his assurance to the remaining Erathians his unwavering support against dissolution of the Companies and spreading them out. The loyalty to him from within the company was questionable as not many actually knew anything about, even when Harth had tried to dig something up, all it said was it was "Datus Extermis", it was classified. He himself spoke very little other than referring to it as the 'incident' when they had met in the war-room. All this made Hakon and the others very anxious, but the lust for battle was almost overrunning the thought.

**Battle Plans**

"We will advance in full speed until we reach the 9th Erathian and the 42nd Cadians, we will split into two prongs." Commissar Rashid signalled as he indicated on the map before him. He pointed to Alric and Garth with his middle and index fingers respectively, and put the fingers on the map facing the marked frontline facing the weakest point of the Citadel, the Westwall. "You, Alric, will advance forward and reinforce the 42nd Cadians in taking the forward siege guns." He turned to Gath, "While you go up the centre and setup here, command will supply you with a battery of guns to cover us in the forward advance."

He finally turned to Hakon, "Yours will be my personal Company Hakon. We head to the 9th and beat back a predicted attack by the heretic curs!"

Hakon simply nodded, "It would be an honour, sir!" if it was a mock tone Rashid did not pick it up.

"You honour him too much my Commissar-Captain!" joked Garth.

No one dared laugh in front of the Commissar until a thin smile creased the commissar's lips and he began chuckling, the Sergeants and the Lieutenants began laughing until Rashid raised his hand for silence.

He was quietly reading everyone, Hakon knew it. How he talked to the troopers and the officers, it was all an assessment to see who he could count on and who he can exploit. It was always like this for the Commissars of any regiment politics first, regiment second, trooper third. After all they were a political entity of the Guard, it was their job. Just like it was Hakon's job to lead his forces into a glorious victory over the damned enemy.

Breaking from his self-contemplation he looked toward the Commissar finishing up his requests of the others, in unison the standing Erathians saluted all at once at the Commissar confirming his orders, and his authority. Hakon joined in and together they yelled their battle-cant.

"Thervani Arthum!" they snapped to attention, the surprised commissar smiled at the shout, a show of confusion on his face.

"Ah, yes the Commissar is not an Erathian." laughed Alric

"That is true, it is up to Hakon to teach him our battle-speech I guess and I fear the worst!" said a sarcastic Garth.

Rashid looked toward Hakon as if expecting something from him, he kept his counsel, and he decided to play a game with the commissar making it hard to read him. Hakon simply nodded and saluted to his comrades, "I will try." is all he willed himself to say.

The Commissar appreciatively nodded to him, "Well men get ready for we leave for the front with all haste!" he drew a long lithe blade of shimmering silver metal and bought it to his fore and swung it forward, "In the name of the Almighty Emperor, the Defender, the Protector and the Saviour of Humanity, we fight men of Erathia!"

A loud cheer erupted from the gathering, a small smile creased Hakon's face, finally he thought to himself. Battle.

**Camps and Massacres.**

The slow rumble of tanks and artillery pullers filled the damp bloody air. Open graves covered the city streets, the gutters choked with blood. The Erathians marched through a raised embankment facing the massive parking fields, where the entirety of the 32nd Cadian Division and the 34th Gorans Regulars had encamped and waiting for a break in the walls.

The view was repulsing, the camps were fringed with dead heretics and Guardsmen and no one had bothered to clean up. Hakon nearly threw up when he saw the body of a dead heretic, his chest ripped open, organs spilling out with strange marks and jagged chunks of meat missing, suddenly he realized that they were bite marks, he turned away toward the polluted green-hued river and the opposite bank.

The other side was much the same with thousands of swarming guardsmen killing looting and even raping the survivors and stragglers of the city who sought refuge under the invaders. This type of slaughter was common and accepted, he even watched as Commissars went about the piles of dead and execute those who survived, he saw a child being shot through the head, half his head was blown of the body convulsed violently before it fell, the child still cried, it was still alive, Hakon watched on disturbed.

Refugees around the Cadian camps dared not to draw attention to themselves as they picked through the dead, one particular mob began advancing near the Imperial encampment and picking through unchecked bodies of Guardsmen, left behind from a prior engagement.

In a sudden torrent of conflict a throng of fanatics, mainly camp followers and a few guardsmen erupted from the camps wielding autoguns and bayonets and began laying into the enemy, another bloodbath, almost as if the two banks of the rivers were challenging each other to see who can kill the most refugees.

The poor wretches fled before the fury of the fanatics and were heading to the raised road upon which the Erathians were marching through, dozens were being gunned down in front of Hakon's eyes, he heard the Commissar order the men. In a disciplined line the two hundred and fifteen men of Hakon's company drew and shouldered their rifles.

Hakon simply watched the company prepare to massacre innocents.

"Fire!" yelled the Commissar.

In a brilliant volley of crimson death, flashes of concentrated las shots blasted the survivors heading to the Erathians. That is when Hakon realised, he did not care. He wanted them to die, he watched as heretic citizens slipped on faecal droppings and urine as they tried to dodge the gunfire, but to no avail, they all died, slow or fast.


	8. Chapter 8: Unexpected Response

**Chapter 8: Unexpected Response

* * *

**Thanos Campaign,

Siege of Basilica Hereticus,

_7th Day of the Siege_

* * *

**Commissar and Captain**

The stink from the medicae infirmary was almost unbearable. It was a mix of sickly wormwood, rotten meat and faecal matter. The men were getting sick and the wounded were dying, their wounds bloody piles of rotting matter as pus and blood seeped uncontrollably.

Hakon watched in astonishment at the twenty three bodies belonging to the 31st Thorian Guard Company slowly and painfully loose their grip on life. Minor wounds like even a cut had overblown into massive fissures along the skin which put the troopers in a lot of uncontrollable pain, priests did what they could walking amongst the dying giving out the Last Rites of the Departing and final benedictions to the poor troopers.

"The Thorians were manning the guns here, until we showed up." said the Lieutenant Taran Kioth of the 9th Aces. Commissar Rashid nodded to the appraisal.

Hakon silently studied Kioth; he was new to the regiment that much was obvious, as Hakon had never seen him before. Kioth was a tall man, taller than Hakon, even taller than the lithe Commissar Rashid who stood at just under two meters.

Taran stood a head taller than the Commissar at over two meters, Hakon estimated. His build was heavy set and well muscled, the product of a good life on Erathia. Kioth was a trading name Hakon recalled, probably the son of some rich merchant. He knew not, but was glad of the fact that the Aces were with them at such a time of loss.

The Commissar looking around was obviously dismayed, "What happened?"

Kioth shrugged, "When we arrived we found a lot of the 31st dead and dying. No cause to worry as far as we can see. The other Thorians have promptly taken their place" He said handing the report to the Commissar. "It was some sort of special shells used by the last assailants, that's what the Medic's said. But most of the frontline forces are intact."

Hakon's mind was elsewhere, he still wondered about the regiment and what was happening to it. He hated the fact that the Commissar was now in charge rather than a senior Lieutenant who could've been field promoted to Captain to lead the section of companies. He decidedly ignored the exchange between the medicae crew and Commissar along with several other officers who were giving reports and rushing off to their duties.

"Did any others, other than them…survive? Any chance at least?" Hakon asked Lieutenant Kioth in the Erathian tongue.

Kioth was a bit taken aback at the Commissar's exclusion by Hakon using their tongue, "The Thorians?" he asked in Erathian.

Hakon nodded, "The debacle in the orbit, the 42nd."

"No. We are the only one's" he said with a measure of regret, "But Colonel Erkhan Badur and his storm-troopers have deployed, we maybe joining him to cover the losses from the Torim Campaign."

"We won't be joining his regiment." added in Rashid as he was scanning the Data-slate.

The other two officers looked at him in astonishment. The commissar had just spoken to them in perfect Erathian; Hakon had thought him some rookie field promoted Commissar sent in urgency to rally the 42nd.

"Uhh…you can speak Erathian?" Hakon asked in an astonished tone, he paused and hastily added "sir!" to his question.

"Yes."

"But we thought…Why not tell us, sir?"

He gestured with the data-slate. "I did not tell, because you did not ask. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" smiled Kioth. "What now sir? If we are not joining old Bad, what happens to the rest of the regiment?"

Rashid looked menacingly into the eyes of his officers and laughed "I get it, of course." He briskly proceeded to the table were he set data-pad and removed his lethstel gloves; he unbuckled the heavy coat and set it on the table.

"Hakon, a word." he indicated to the corner of the tent. Hakon relented but followed him.

He produced a small book from his suit and began flipping through it, "Don't try to isolate me here Hakon. It is counter productive." he whispered, but just as he turned to walk he faced him again.

"I don't want break in my command; you pull stunts like that, blatantly. I swear by the Emperor, Hakon. I will shoot you!"

A stunned Hakon tried to form words in his mouth, most possibly one of apologies, but the commissar leant in and patted him on the shoulder, "Look to your duties, Hakon." He said now within Kioth's earshot. The Commissar scared the crap out of him.

Hakon gave a weak smile and left the conversation. Walking out from the Bunker into the First line. He looked back toward the south to the rest of the city and saw their primary command centre, the old mansion which dominated the view from the elevated position of its base, there was a myriad towers of smoke and fire behind it silhouetting its menacing architecture. It was the sign of the city all but brought its knees…or any other city atleast. But this was Basilica Frakking Hereticus, as Farokh put it, ever since storming the carnus trenches they knew this conflict had something more than this world involved.

The entirety of this conflict was confusing. The company being moved to the lines were even more so as they had no idea what they were exactly doing as they lacked proper guns to crack the walls and even at that proper reinforcements and reserve to consolidate a gain or even launch an assault. Everything felt a bit ineffective in his perspective of holing up atleast a strike force sized battle-squadron to just watch the weakest point of the defences. Was it that they were meant to draw the enemy out against a weak line?

He shook of the thoughts; it was all seemingly fantastic in the making. It was more his imagination which had been playing up he decided. For the past few weeks, past few miserable bloody war-filled Emperor-damned weeks he had been paranoid of command and all their decisions, it was safe to say he even doubted himself.

All of this conflict felt new and raw to him, even though he had seen worse in the Torim landings and the Uncou System Purge and was battle-hardened enough to be given the Veteran's Epaulettes and various other commendations. Something was wrong with his head and something was playing up. He saw it in Halvorn's and Kastor's eyes, even they felt a bit lost ever since they began closing toward the walls.

The Thorian captains also told him of panicky decisions they have been uncharacteristically making and the unusual amount of stress they felt when they were overseeing a task. Hakon put it down to the tricks of the enemy and thought no more of it offering a quick prayer to the God-Emperor of Terra.

Walking toward his gun-nest he was greeted by a few fellow troopers, who all looked little sullen and upset. It was the news Hakon had decided, the news of the regiment's loss and the on hold status of their already engaged company. He retrieved a Data-slate from an ammunition box used as a table; scanning it he saw the platoons and their positions across the front, he sighed as lines of the numbered troopers had breaks in them. Tr-45, Trooper Thalin. Tr-23 Trooper Shos. Tr-56 Trooper Eshin. SubTr-10 Kelin.

He pressed a rune and the missing troopers reports showed up. The rows under the 'Status' were lined with KIAs. All thirty of them were dead, five more showed up in the report as critical, most of the dead were from Kastor's platoon, and they were barely within operational level.

One devastated squad in particular, the 12th, stood out, only five of the squad still remained, and they manned an abandoned Autocannon emplacement. Hakon traced across the line and spotted the squad, all were relaxed, and a couple of Thorians approached an Erathian with an ammunition box. They were the new-blood recruits from Erathia, taken aboard to replace the losses after the Torim.

Their Subaedar was dead, Subaedar Kelin. A fine man. Hakon remembered the cheerful young Subaedar who had served with him for many years. He had died in the push through the Fortel Complex, so had half his squad. Hakon cringed at the thought; he shouldn't have let them clear a frakking street without support, it was his fault for their loss.

But one young-blood, an exceptional marksman according to Kastor, had stood up and rallied the others; the squad even managed even to take out a couple of tanks in the field battle during the rescue of the Warblade. Hakon searched for his name in the data-slate were it showed up as First Corporal , a list of known exploits followed the name. Brave boy, Hakon thought to himself as he scanned the slate.

* * *

**Verin and Hunter.**

Corporal Verin Hunter looked dubiously across the mesh of trenches and gun-nests; he spotted the half demolished walls of the houses which had dominated the area. This used to be an inner suburb Verin recalled, it had housed some five thousand people in the cramped and walled in houses.

That was before the world fell to chaos. When the world still believed in hope, when they believed in the Imperium of Mankind and the God-Emperor. He wondered how any human would frown and turn their back on the Emperor and Mankind.

For the past few years the entirety of the Arkavon star-cluster had been suffering from small-time rebellions to massive invasions and incursions by Chaos forces. No one knew how or why, but from all the things he had heard things weren't looking very good. Trooper Ganar had somehow managed to intercept some heavily coded transmissions and had figured out the gist of it.

The situation had looked bad for the system. Very, very bad. Somewhere close to three hundred shipments of hell guns and full carapace suits from the Forgeworld Malghas II destined for Cadia had suddenly gone missing. There was enough in the shipment to arm and armour a massive army. To make it even worse it was confirmed that an enemy called the Blackhand had it.

The members of 12th were educated by their fellow troopers about the nature of the Blackhand. The majority of them were all ex-Guard who had been loyal once but had turned at the advent of the Mikhanas Crusade four thousand years ago and its inevitable failure and had been growing ever since. The best thing now was to keep quiet about it and be aware at all times.

Hunter sighed and looked around at his line, there was a figure swathed in the Officer's coat observing him a data-slate in hand. Hakon, it was Lieutenant Hakon. He immediately gave a cheery wave toward him, which was returned in kind, Hakon immediately turned and walked away toward another gun-nest.

Werath Hakon, that man was someone who only associated with those he held close. Those he trusted. Hunter had never talked to him directly, neither did he find the prospect very interesting, for all he cared Hakon had led his team into an ambush and had fraked up his squad and he had little respect for the man. Yes, he may have faced down a dreadnought and may have led them in the brilliant attack on the heretic base, but he could care less, he was no Kastor. Now that was a true Erathian Guard.

Verin had hated Werath since the start he concluded, ever since he was told off at the docking bay, for…for that bloody crease.

He would one day have to get even he thought, something equivalent to the lashes. Verin winced as he flexed his shoulder at the recollection of the pain. Every dog has his day; Verin will have his revenge, for now he would be Corporal Hunter.

"Hunter?" a voice interrupted his reverie, "We got some lho sticks from the Thorians on night shift, interested?"

Verin calmed himself; he had his back turned to the trooper. Hunter turned and faced the trooper, it was Ganar. A sly grin creased his face.

"Did I hear 'lho sticks'?" he smiled.

Ganar chuckled at the menace he heard in Hunter's voice, as if he intended some random mischief. "You heard right." he bought up his hand to his temple in a sign of mock salute, "Sir." He joked.

It was common knowledge that Hunter would be the natural successor as Subaedar of the squad, but it seemed Hakon in all his hurry or according to Hunter in all his lax had forgotten to promote many squad leaders who had filled the void of Subaedar.

He was becoming unpopular and his command was coming into question amongst the new bloods. The company was split, with those who supported Hakon like ever loyal lapdog Halvorn, and those like Gerston who did not trust Hakon anymore.

Hunter smiled mockingly, "If that frakking fool of a lieutenant will promote me." He patted the trooper as he rose from his post and walked with him. "I swear I am going to stick him one day."

Ganar laughed out loud, he found it a jest. As they stalked of to some corner to smoke, unfortunately Verin never joked much.

* * *

**Advancing and Falling Back.**

Subaedar Varaj hefted the Autocannon with him as he walked across the trench, he was followed by his squad, all ten had made it through all of the fights intact, they were one of the squads which had survived the inner city assault and had not broken. Marching past a raised guard post they approached their end of their patrol, clambering out of the trench the squad walked toward the makeshift barrack to catch some sleep, they had been patrolling and guarding for over eight hours without much breaks.

A sentry outside waved them in pointing them to a mat with Welcome crudely written on it in Erathian, Varaj smiled to the guard and shared a rude joke, gesturing his Autocannon and thrusting it with his hip. The men around began cackling with laughter.

Dozen's of explosion ripped across the front trenches, gun-nests erupted in flames and chatter of automatic weapons and the cracking whines of las rounds suddenly erupted adding to the crescendo of the explosions.

The squad and the rest of the men from the barracks began filing out and checking there weapons, already dozens of Thorian troopers were milling and running toward the explosions. Varaj smiled and cocked his Autocannon, there was finally going to be some action. Little did he know the actual scale of that 'action'.

Squads of Erathians immediately began moving past the building and melding into pre-prepared positions within the maze of buildings and streets.

Subaedar Kashin ran to him with a dat-pad in his hands, his face looked panicked and worried. A massive field gun discharged next to them, making Varaj flinch at the thunder the massive gun firing had left in his ears.

"It's a massive incursion!" he yelled over the din of gunfire, throwing the data-pad at Varaj.

He caught the data pad in flight and scanned it with a surprise in his face. Large red dot concentrations, the enemy, were breaking through a line of blue, the First Line trenches, dozens of green arrows were being wiped out or falling back, those were the Thorians and the Erathians breaking before the attack.

"We need to get Hakon on the line."

The other man shook his head, "Tried it his channel in flooded by inter company vox."

'Where is the Commissar-Captain?"

"He is relaying orders and reforming the reserves behind the second line."

The massive Subaedar tapped a few runes on his wrist pad and hailed the Company vox-officer Thas Harth. "Harth, what the frak is all this transmission problems?"

There was a crackle and pop.

Harth immediately answered, "Don't know, but this is no time to find out. The first line is breaking…way too fast. Can you see what the hell the enemy are using?"

Varaj ran to an elevated gun-nest and skidded beside Subaedar 'Bugger' Farokh and three other troopers firing a massive pair of Heavy Bolters at the enemy ducking through the trench lines.

"God-Emperor of Terra!" Varaj swore as he watched the dozens of tanks and hundreds of troops swarming toward them, hundreds more bodies of the enemy and ally were scattered across the line.

"What? What is it? How many?" the Vox officer pressed on his inquest.

"I am counting at least two battalions strong infantry and…someone's gonna die for this. But there are tanks, at least a few companies strong.

"What the hell?" he sounded almost surprised. "You see any markings on it? Anything like a..."

Varaj had noticed a peculiar marking on its left flank amongst the hundred blasphemous runes; he anticipated the question, "A Hand?"

"Shit!"

Varaj didn't like the sound of the curse at that particular time, he heard a chorus of rustling and beeping in the background "What?"

"You need to pull your squad back all squads are rallying at 7th Block in between the 4th and 7th streets and await reinforcements. The Commissar just informed me that there maybe Blackhand troops with them so keep sharp."

"The Blackhand here?!" Varaj was shocked.

"Yea, that's what it looks like. Just keep your eyes open and proceed to rendezvous point A.004."

* * *

**Assault-Lases and Baneblades**

The Subaedar ordered his squad up the streets, the rest of the Erathian units began following suite, to their surprise hundreds of cultists had already made it past the line into the streets and were trying to cut them off, three squads of Aces were pinned in between a platoon of enemy troopers in black armour and a defiler and an advancing tank squad.

Varaj ordered up his missile teams forward to point and let the rest of the squad fall back cover them; he slammed another drum magazine home and waited for the tanks to approach. He knew that the tanks were making a risky manevoure by turning a corner without infantry support.

Five rockets screamed from the other side of the street and slammed into the front two tanks on the curve, the unknown pattern tanks erupted in flames as the massive explosions tore of the hull of the armour and stalled the rest of the tank squad.

Subaedar Farokh's squad had pushed up through the west end of the street and taken out the defiler, Varaj ordering up his squad cut down the platoon from the flank. That is where the 7th Erathians met the Blackhand for the first time in over three years and they were nothing like the rabble heretics they faced back in Argolis II.

They were tough and well armed; they wore plates of steel and flak and carried standard pattern lasrifles, a mirror of the standard Guardsmen in equipment except for the blasphemous runes. The Blackhand wore compact rebreathers, more advanced than the Erathian-issue by the look and a tight black balaclava topped by a close-fitting plasteel helmet. A pair of leering yellow goggles erupted from their eyes, giving them a terrifying appearance.

Blackhand were known for their ferocity and were a match toward the 'Strikers' in prowess, the platoon sergeant had tightly drilled the unit by the effort they had put into every parry and thrust toward the Erathians.

Farokh's flanking move and the fire cover from the Thorians were the only factors which caused the Blackhand to shatter and die, but this small victory was soon enough overshadowed when a retreating squad of mixed Erathian and Thorian men who somehow escaped the frontline, approached them with terrible news.

A Thorian Sergeant stumbled through the rubble toward them, his face a mask of horror as he was struggling through the messy ground.

"Baneblades!" he barely whispered the words.

A thunderous rumble shuddered through the ground as structures erupted as a fiery explosion ripped through the nearby building throwing masonry and plascrete into massive flights as dust and smoke began engulfing the vicinity of the blast.

Through it the stunned Imperials could see the looming frame of the massive hull belonging to the monster which was yet relentlessly advancing across the block, crushing the remnants of the buildings which stood in its way.

Strobes of las fire filled the air and the thunder of cannons and auto weapons reverberated through the air, bright lances of las tore through the air as it thumped into the Baneblade's hull causing small groves on its corrupted surface.

Varaj fired the last of his Autocannon shells and discarded the weapon, he had no option but to retreat, the rendezvous would be overrun soon enough so his only option was to take the squads right into the second line, the last line of defence against the overwhelming enemy. He swung up his Assault-Las strapped to his back and fired into the approaching enemy units as he ordered a retreat.

The Baneblade fired again, now with its main cannon toward the ground. A thunderous explosion erupted from the ground as the plascrete shot up cracked and stretched, fires spewed from the ground.

Erathians and Thorians were falling back toward pre-dug foxholes and fire points along the streets two blocks, the Baneblade was stuck near the rubble as its last shot had set off promethium pipes underground and a massive wall was jutting out in front of it, but the Blackhand infantry began pouring in from behind the giant ruin and were forming an advancing front.

Varaj unbuckled his dataslate from his waist and tapped into the general orbital map layout, hundreds of red marked arrows were approaching with rapid speed toward a line of seven yellow marked squads spread out in a ragged line across the street front and there was atleast three hundred meters between them and the enemy. They could outrun them, but they could sure as also hell fight them to the death.

Farokh slid down beside Varaj and indicated to the dataslate. "We need to leave, they are right there in front of us."

"I know. I ain't stupid." He spat back at the fellow Subaedar.

Farokh snorted in response, "You sure acting stupid Var. The Thorian sluggers want to pull back." He nodded toward their allies in their grey and blue uniforms.

"No way am I prepared to die here, in this shithole when there is a lot more fire fights out there somewhere."

Subaedar Varaj didn't know what he meant by other firefights, he assumed it was a better battle somewhere. No one knew what went on in Bugger Farokh's head. Thus the nick-name as he never actually made much clear, other than grunt and make insanely irrelevant but somehow effective remarks.

"Yeah…somewhere else." He simply nodded and agreed. Activating the inter-squad vox on all channels he began relaying the pullback orders.

"Alright, we are ditching this hole, standard pattern withdrawal, are you gundogs with me?" A chorus of affirmatives from Thorians and Erathians followed.

"Good." He lauded the men; morale at this point was everything.

"Squad assign, Farokh's boys will form a fire cordon as soon as they get to the 4th street-end. Thorians pull back through the cordon and fall in for fire support. Rest of you Aces, follow through toward the 5th street-end and overlapping fallback toward the second line perimeter. All clear?"

"Yeah. But what the hell are you up to?" broke in Subaedar Norag of the 15th squad.

"Good question. Me and my boys are gonna hang back and hold here until your men are clear toward the positions. We will fall back toward the 4th street-end. From there we get fire support from the field and AT guns on the second line. Rest is piece of Cake!"

The men began falling back in good order as he had suggested, dozens of guns were firing frightful volleys at the enemy denting the advancing wall of black. The return fire was just as, or fiercer, than the Imperial lines, clumps of red armoured figures were clambering up behind the Blackhand troops assisting them.

Varaj knew that he couldn't stay on covering any longer and signalled the pull-back, he swung his assault-las up and hung it to his shoulder, he took up a discarded rocket-tube and armed it, diligently he lifted it up as he fell-back, basic and advanced training was flooding through his mind as he used the unorthodox manevoure of loading a tube and running through a terrible fire-fight.

Finally slamming the rocket home he swung the tube to his shoulder and fired the weapon, in a wash of chemical smoke and fire a bright comet shot out from his launcher into what he last saw as an approaching tank, he didn't stay to watch his handiwork and turned to run.

* * *

**Assumptions and Realities**

The massive counter-strike had engulfed the First line and had completely shattered the forward bunkers and gun posts, dozens of squads were missing and scores were dead, the Thorian 56th Company were heavily mauled to a mere thirteen squads and the Thorian 41st Company had lost their Captain in charge.

Hakon knew from that moment on that the enemy were in force, not like the force the Guard had faced in the Market-Square or even when they were rescuing the Tank Company. It was not a plethora of units flooding into overrun and awaits the Chaos Marines to make proper tactical breakthroughs.

No, this was more planned and more sensible, the pattern of approach, the deployment of armour and the infantry spearheads and the overlapping advance fire, nothing like the rabble tactics or minimal strategies they were explained to do.

"They are advancing in a pattern I haven't seen before." remarked the Commissar as he watched the screen. Crystal beads of sweat creased his face and his eyes were bloodshot. Rashid was obviously shocked and stressed by this unseen offensive but was doing his best to keep up.

Hakon nodded to the remark and pointed to a dozen units cut off from the rest making a steady and costly fall-back.

"They know were to hit and how to surround us. We are in general fall back all across the front, the Thorian 56th is decimated to less than a hundred and thirty guns. They took the brunt of the armour."

"Hmm. I haven't seen their like before and I am afraid I am a bit taken aback with this situation."

A small smile rippled on Hakon's face, this bastard was full of surprises he told himself. "Well, I was thinking the same, Commissar."

Rashid shrugged to Hakon; "Indeed?" he turned to the command display in front of him and looked for any nearby Officers from the front. "Where is Kioth?"

Hakon put his hand to his ear bead and listened in, "He is organising and assisting the front line units that made it. He is helping out the cut off units." Hakon indicated to a map and situation once more, "I am thinking this is the time to call for a little help."

"Indeed, it is Lieutenant." Rashid was a bit taken by Hakon's opinion, it was the least he expected.

Producing a wrist-communicator he tapped it twice and an aide approached him, Hakon didn't know from where or from what corner of the busy room, he just appeared out of nowhere.

"Code Vermillion, Alpha. Probst Acta Oravus" he told him, the aide. Just as the aide had appeared he melded into the mess of the centre.

He turned and proceeded from the map room of the old mansion into the command and relay centre they had set up in the massive dining and living area of the humongous mansion. Hakon followed.

"Get me an officer who has seen this mess first hand and survived."

Hakon nodded to the request "Vox-Officer Harth!" Hakon called out, "Get us a veteran from the line!"

Harth turned about and nodded, he typed a few things onto the console in front of him and turned back to them, "Well, I have a Lieutenant Urtio Janus, him and his platoon faced much of the oncoming armour and infantry swarms and has made it, somehow, to the medicae area, mostly intact."

"Good" Rashid smiled "Get him here."

Harth nodded and began voxing the officer.

A few minutes past an officer with silver epaulettes of a Thorian Lieutenant ran into the command room removing his helmet and holstering his plasma-pistol.

"Commissar, Sir!" he gave a crisp salute, and nodded to Hakon.

The Commissar returned a more disheartened Aquila, "God-Emperor, protects, Lieutenant Janus. You made it!" he said and made it so he sounded surprised, Hakon had no idea if he was genuine or he was mocking him

"We barely made it, sir." He said perspiring heavily now, he retrieved a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "Those bastards are professionals, sir. There was no briefing of them being here or even at that a warning to the attack. I lost a lot of good men!"

Hakon laid a reassuring hand on the man's heavy shoulders "We all did Lieutenant…Janus."

"No, you don't get it. They were those damned things we faced before at the outskirts of Elra Province a week ago!"

Commissar Rashid stroked his chin contemplating the words, faced them before, which meant the Command knew of the Blackhand's involvement here.

"You fought the Blackhand before…on Thanos?" broke in a shocked Hakon.

The lieutenant nodded. "Not only that, we captured a couple of them after the fight at the outskirts. They were well armed…armed to the teeth more like." He shook his head as he gave out a sigh. "I had heard of a few mercs that the cultists hired but these were heretics we fought…well drilled and coordinated." His voice was full of surprise. "Hell a platoon of them held up our entire Regiment at that skirmish! They know what they are doing!"

A sudden flashing storbe of red light flashed across the room as a whining siren sounded across the Second and last line as one. The mansion was immediately filled up with the resting command crew who began flooding in from the bedrooms.

Troopers began filing out of the rest rooms in the huge house and began placing and manning stubbers and other weapons on the windows as it was perfectly situated right on the solid line of iron and guts. The enemy was within the range of second line.

"Now I can finally see what you men have been bitching about." declared Rashid.

The Commissar grabbed an Assault-las from a table nearby and cocked it; Hakon unsheathed his blade in reply. The Thorian Lieutenant sighed and charged up his plasma-pistol and rubbed his neck in exhaustion.

This was going to be one hell of a fight.

* * *

**Chapter 9 will be up soon if anyone cares.**

* * *


	9. Chapter 9 : Defensive Measures

**The Second Line.**

Rows of Autocannon and Heavy-Bolter emplacements across the second line chattered fiery death at the approaching enemy in a terrible torrent of death and blood. But it seemed the enemy cared little for the causalities they sustained as the warriors behind the dead simply climbed or walked over their dead brethren.

Grim determination was at its epitome with regard to the Blackhand.

Hundreds upon hundreds of black armoured, mask-faced Blackhand warriors poured through the crevasses around the destroyed buildings and the broken roads, the roar of armoured behemoths overcoming the wreckage was right at their heels. Already shells were ripping and whistling over the heads of the beleaguered guardsmen composed of the shaken Thorians and regrouping Erathians.

The many survivours from the first line were being organised into effective defensive units by the Subaedars of the 14th and the Lieutenants of the Thorian companies, but still they had no form of solid defence against this sort of assault, the second line would fall slower and would hold out for only while longer in comparison to the first line.

The case was however the lack of field guns and antitank weapons which were all mostly situated toward the first-line, only a handful of units were able to carry any anti-tanks weapon apart from the standard missile launcher.

Liuetenant Werath Hakon stared out of the broken window in disbelief at what was sprawled out before him, red and black behemoths behind the waves of black armoured warriors all advancing up the long slope with diligence only found in any elite Storm trooper Regiment, Erathians included.

"This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought." Hakon said in a grim and dooming tone.

The Commissar was at odds at the situation but he agreed with Hakon. Rashid gulped as he saw a four legged monstrosity drag itself up on a jutting twist of concrete and metal and scream a terrible war-cry and shrill at the Imperials.

"Damn them!" Rashid let slip, "Damn, bastards in High Command must've had some clue about this…this…many enemy!" he shook his head as he contemplated the implications of the task before him.

Hakon nodded in assent, "You, reckon…we will see this through?"

Rashid chuckled and slapped his palm against Hakon's shoulder pad, "What is this? Liuetenant Werath Hakon of the Domlar Breach action, unsure of his future?"

"Unsure, my good Commissar?" he shook his head "I think we are all unsure."

There was one thing which was for sure. The one thing everyone wishes not to be sure about.

Death. They would all die here.

**Blackhands and Betrayals**

Chaos Lord Morlon Degan looked across from the ramparts of the inner citadel of the Basilica as thousands of troops issued from the secret mouths at the foot of the immense adamantium reinforced walls.

He licked his dry and cracked lips in anticipation of the slaughter to come, all that stood between them and the undefended heart of the enemy camps was the few barely full companies of the pathetic Guardsmen. His heretic forces would overwhelm them with their sheer numbers, Gauldin Hab lines would fall to them.

The sheer amount of warriors he had managed to assemble was astonishing The last orbital break was in itself a stroke of tactical luck and his brilliant strategies in steering fully one hundred companies worth of the elite Blackhand troopers and three thousand armoured vehicles, exactly the amount of troops needed to prolong the battle, just a little longer. All thanks to the Blackhand Commander the infamous Ekser Nero.

By the end of the day, the Dark Apostle would have completed his task and the wretched world would be out of their way. Oh, and then, only then, would the terror they planned would be bought to bear.

The Dark Gods shall find their hunger once again sated by the morsel of a million souls.

He had followed the plan laid out by the mysterious Disciple, the apparent true Warlord of the Word Bearer Host; it was not the Dark Apostle Ghuldar as tradition of the Legion maintained. Some higher power was at work here that was for certain, the amount of rituals and sacrifices they demanded daily was enormous and the kind of magnificence only attributed to chaos were erected and expanded within the citadel in a matter of months since their arrival.

Piles of the dead had been made into massive towers upon which they poured the mixture that was the blood-mortar, the Word Bearer's sacred building cement. It was a hideous concoction of ground bodies of enemies and devotees of chaos which was made into a rotting red and putrid fine paste.

Most of their sacred building constituted the concoction of ground down humans, but not to the extent of using newborns and young-ones as the pure and only source each one was sacredly blessed by the Word Bearer Apostle, all million of them. The bastard Markus had opposed this measure.

That madman who had once held this world under his tenacious and brutal grip was now dead; his was the first body to be set into the walls of a massive Obelisk which rose amidst the core of the city. All who opposed the great Bearers of the True Word were put to the sword.

Once again a smile split his terrible scarred face as he realized the true reach of the events which were unfolding before him. True the numbers of the enemy were utterly unprecedented and the chance gathering of three powerful Lord Commanders and their expedition fleets with them along with three million Guardsmen was one thing, but he did not lose his faith in the purpose set to him by the messengers of the true gods.

A force of a hundred thousand chaos militias and thirty thousand heavily armed Blackhand accompanied by the remnants of the Word Bearers awaited his command. There was no way he was going to give in to the Imperial numbers without a fight, a bloody long and brutal one at that.

He slowly turned to one of his aides who stood beside him patiently awaiting his commands to be relayed to the spearhead tearing through the Imperial companies to the new front.

"Forward the armour, send them all." The unnatural grating voice from within his freakish scarred neck, spoke. The aides bowed and left to tend to their duties.

Yet one tall armoured figure stood in the shadows, the breastplate marked with the hand-print insignia of the Black Hand watching the proceedings silently and awaited his masters orders.

Morlon turned his deformed and cruel eyes toward the shadows from where the Black Hand stepped forth, "Ah, loyal Ekser Nero, you still remain with your Hellstorm. Hmm? So what task may I set thee?"

"There are ten thousand of my men marching to their blessed deaths out there." The warrior finally said, a slight annoyance well-masked behind the claim.

"Unfortunate but the gods need their sacrifice and the Word Bearer needs time. But alas it is us who see it unfold not them…" he pointed below at the churning, mass of black armoured warriors in contempt. He turned his back to Nero as he brimmed with a intoxicating level of confidence looking up toward the dark swirling mass of red that was the sky. "Truly the warp is an amazing thing."

"Indeed amazing and unpredictable. Just like its followers, for the weak are culled." He replied as his blade slid from its sheath by his waist. "Accordingly the unwanted are disposed off, wouldn't you say so?"

Ekser Nero tightened his grip as he raised the blade over his head; he licked his lips in anticipation beneath his skull-mask.

"Surely, that is the tenant we all follow." The Lord replied unaware of the blade being raised behind him.

"Then you won't mind adhering to it." With that he let the blade fall in a fatal arc with all his strength behind the blow. The Chaos Lord was cleaved in two in an instant, dark blood swirling and spluttering from the separated body pooling on the dark floor.

Warlord of the Hellstorm Ekser Nero smiled for the first time in decades of his life as he sheathed his blade and left the scene. The succession of him to Chaos Lord was complete.

**Hakon's Charge.**

Before the second line there stood three thousand black clad armoured troopers of the so called 'Blackhand Legion' thousands more cultists were simply throwing themselves at the line causing enormous problems for the defenders only a few hundred strong.

They were low on ammunition, water and men. Wounded men were piling up in what was their partial infirmary, dead bodies were lying next to live wounded men as the medics had no time to get rid of the dead men. But the men stopped caring a long time ago; they knew they faced their deaths at the hands of the archenemy but they had done the Emperor's work and they would continue to do it until they drew their last breath.

Hakon fought with a vigour and courage he thought he had lost chainsword swinging bloody arcs his bolt pistol spitting death at the foe, he stood upon a mound with his strongest warriors from the Erathian Company, dozens of foes were at their feet dead and dismembered, scores were being constantly gunned down by the disciplined volleys of the Erathians and Thorians.

Thorians were now a ragged mess, all their senior officers were dead or dying, their company Lieutenant Janus had died duelling an enemy commander he now laid among the dead near the foot of the slope with a gaggle of dead enemy elite around him the Thorian banner in hand and a defiant blade struck in the enemy commander's throat.

But even a more inspiring sight was the Commissar Rashid and Liuetenant Kioth fighting side by side a knot of Erathian troopers, the best of the 'Aces', Assault-Las' up and blazing, bayonets covered in enemy blood they stormed into the weaker left wing of the barricades decimating the enemy.

In the end there were just too many of them.

Swinging his chain blade Hakon decapitated another Blackhand who got too close to him, he immediately ducked and bought his blade up to parry a rusty blade swung at him, the adamantium teeth of his family blade cut the blade in two. Hakon shot the assailant in the head and rammed his knee into another who had his back turned too busy grappling with an Erathian from 9th. The trooper took the opportunity and rammed his bayonet into the enemies face killing him instantly.

"Hold the line and keep firing!" he yelled into his company-vox.

"I don't think that tactic will last long, Sir!" called out Subaedar Farokh, "We can't keep up the fire with men dropping so fast."

"Yea, sir!" agreed Sergeant Halvorn, "Ammo count can't be sustained for long, we have no runners and most of us are down to the last three or two charges."

"Well harden up you bloody maggots!" shouted an elated Varaj as he jumped on to the lip of the defences "I'll show you how to kill these damned warp-spawned excretions." With that he began firing his Autocannon in full auto without regard for aiming, thunderous drumming of the weapon and the force of the weapons impact drove a large swathe into the enemy ranks, dozens died at each volley riddled with high explosive bullets.

"Varaj! Get down from there and back to ranks 'fore you get your…." Before Hakon could finish his sentence a sniper bullet shattered through the Varaj's helmet sending the Subaedar stumbling down on to the parapet and slipping from the lip of the defences. The Autocannon fell silent and Hakon looked on in horror.

Sergeant Halvorn ran up and grabbed the fallen Subaedar dragging him from the line of fire "Varaj! Varaj! You there buddy! MEDIC!"

Hakon kept staring at the horrible mess that was Varaj's helmet, blood and melted plasteel dripped from the glowing hole, grief and the utter uselessness of the situation and of himself for leading them into such a hopeless conflict began to take its toll. He physically felt sick as his shoulders drooped and he fell to his knees beside the body of his own trooper and shook his head in fear. He removed his helmet in sorrow as bitter tears rolled down his cheeks.

Then a voice broke him from his sulkiness "Sir? Sir, please move so the Medic can get to him."

Hakon simply got up seething in rage "Death!" he bellowed to his men, "that is what awaits us here. I for one am tired of the wait. God-Emperor as my witness I will die before I see another one of my men die! Death I shall be on my Emperor's side."

The men around him looked at each other in confusion.

Old Halvorn finally had the nerve to break the silence "Sir are you al…"

"Halvorn." Hakon interrupted him mid sentence. "You have Company Command."

With that Hakon grabbed the fallen Autocannon and fed a new box of ammunition into it and cocked it, he began chanting the Erathian death song at first silently chanting then the crescendo increased as he walked to the lip of the trenches as bullets and las-shots whipped overhead.

A terrible cry emanated from Hakon's mouth as he charged into the seething mass of black armoured foes before him, his Autocannon was pumping shot after lethal shot into the throng cutting them down in seconds, the bayonet fixed at the tip of the cannon was already wet with enemy blood.

Gore and limbs splattered and flew into the air as the foe met the wrath of the lone Erathian Liuetenant who had pushed deep into their own ranks and was unleashing a withering volley of explosive bolts. On his lips were three words. Death for the Emperor!

The Erathians watched their beloved Lieutenant fearlessly charge at the enemy and take them head on, not an ounce of fear in him with the righteous fury of a n Erathian the only thing to be seen.

"Ok, looks like the Lieutenant's lost it." declared Farokh as he gave out a hearty sigh.

"Sarge, you are in command. What do we do?" asked a trooper beside Farokh.

Farokh looked annoyed at the trooper "What do you think we do? We charge 'em! Our good Liuetenant has cleared a way for us."

Halvorn looked at him a doomed smile creasing his face, "Never let a commanding officer die before you, Rule # 34. Hey, Bugger lets throw them a party."

"Alright lads, you heard your in-charge! For all that is good and our Dear Old Emperor on Terra. Forward!" bellowed Farokh as he unsheathed his old blade.

"Thervani Arthum!" yelled the Erathians as they broke from the lip of the trenches and followed in their Lieutenant's wake.

Then the unexpected happened.

**Reinforcements! Again!**

An immense explosion bloomed amidst the enemy as swift comets raced past overhead, the thunderous booming of a dozen or so battlecannons echoed across the entirety Gauldin Habs as the rolling treads of a scores of tanks broke into view. Thunderbolts and Vultures swarmed the night sky all guns blazing. Squads of hellgun totting Cadians of the Kasrkin descended from their Valkyries from on-board rappel as a squadron of Chimaeras ran through the enemy lines securing a landing zone for the Stormtroopers to land in.

Erathians in their thousands in the garb of the elite Erathian Stormguard of Colonel Badhur's regiment poured down the trenches of the second line joined by the few hundred defenders that remained.

The three enemy Baneblades were engulfed in thunderous explosions and searing fire as Thunderbolt Fighters dropped their Hellspear Anti-Tank Missiles on the hopeless targets. The rest of the armour companies escorting the monolithic tanks were soon to follow the Baneblades' fate. The rear Armoured columns began pulling back from the slaughter ahead and what few infantry remained of the thousands strong force were trying to disperse back into the mighty inner bastion walls, they had to fight or die. Mostly they died, no quarter was given.

Imperial forces flooded through the area as the wall was breached in a brutal push, the once beleaguered and outnumbered Erathians and Thorians that were left retook the first line in full glory as they led the charge from the front, but they advanced no more as the Cadians insisted on the brave defenders to take rest and recuperate toward the first line.

Hakon wept bitter tears as once more the Will of Him on Terra intervened at the worst of times and when death was certain, once more His Magnificence had shown his Holy Hand in the rescue of his now weakened but fighting company. Less than hundred and ten men survived, the 14th Company was effectively crippled but was still able as a force. Most of the wounded had died in the assault or had succumbed to their wounds. Colonel Erkhan Badhur personally came down from orbit and had led his forces on the field. He commended Hakon, Kioth and the Commissar Rashid for their bravery and unwavering defence of the Hab Units and for somehow opening up a gap in the fortress walls.

Kioth and his Aces on the other hand had fared better, but not by much, thirty dead and fifty or so wounded. He was kneeling next to the body of his closest comrade, Sergeant Jikon his hand was on the Aquila chain around his neck in prayer. He was personally delivering his last rites.

Werath Hakon was exhausted as he reached the nearest Medical tent to treat his myriad scars and cuts, bruises. His charge was the talk of the new camp springing up around the Habs he had a new nickname, Hakon the Charger. He did not like it but the prospect of a nice soft bed was enough to get the thought out of his head, he collapsed onto the first bed he saw and let his tiresome eyes close. He finally fell asleep for the first time in two days.


	10. Chapter 10: Revelations and Daemons

**Origins and Nature.**

Basilica was a massive Fortress-Cathedral, once dedicated to Saint Revisen of Arkavon, a warrior-saint who led a crusade to Arkavon during the Saint's Purge. The purge had cleansed a massive part of the eastern-fringe of the alien and the heretic during the 38th Millennium.

In one such campaign it was said that Saint Revisen descended upon Thanos and correctly deducted that Chaos had gripped the world in its corrupted hands as the forces of the Dark Gods finally reveal themselves. The details about the Great Enemy's purpose or the Saints exact reason to fight a taint in Thanos when half of the worlds in the cluster was besieged by chaos was muddled in the past with a measure of truth and a more overwhelming fiction (as most of Imperial History was).

That was far as what Ekser Nero had divined from the ancient scrolls strewn through the old vault libraries which the madman Saint Marius the Marked had not burnt, or had forgotten in his quest for mastery over the world. He had found an ancient tome entitled the Hereticus Chaotica, a catalogue of events and deeds committed by the False Emperor's slave-saint detailed to the letter by some deluded follower of the Imperial saint.

He thumbed through the dog eared worn-out brown pages anxiously as his chirurgeons enhanced cortical-implants and his gods given ability to absorb enormous amounts of information in a short time, in a sense he was a genius.

According to the tales written by the deluded fool shed light on the events on Thanos over three millennia ago. The Word Bearers seemed to have been the villains in the imperial writings then too. They had descended on the world and propagated cults through out the cities of Thanos so that they may find a hidden artefact buried somewhere on the world and if the Word Bearers where looking for it, then it was indeed powerful.

The Saint supposedly had foreseen this and the location of the artefact was somehow revealed to him, thus he set about to build a massive warded and sanctified cathedral upon the location of the Artefact. By the hands of tens of thousands of Aquila marked workers who were personally blessed by the saint the massive Basilica was erected within mere days and was heavily fortified by the those members of the Imperial Fists who followed the Saint in force. The wards and anti-daemon litanies scribbled across the now faded and worn down walls of the Basilica were said to be written by Loyalist Space Marines devout to the saint.

An ancient Dark Apostle by the name of Ganadroh the Unforgiven, who had ascended to the status of a Daemon Prince, had led thousands of cultists and hundreds of Chaos Marines in a rush to claim the Basilica and the artefact. Imperials and Chaos forces clashed upon the plains of the world in a brutal struggle, which had broken down to a battle of attrition. But the battle was decided in a climatic duel between the Saint and the Daemon Prince, thanks to the intervention of a squad of Imperial Fists Terminators, led by some unnamed captain, the saint was spared an early death. However the saint managed to plunge a massive runed blade into the Daemon's head and end it's blessed time outside the warp.

Ekser flipped through the tome looking for anything other than the glorious deeds of the saint, he couldn't find anything about the so called artefact other than footnotes which said it was powerful and 'World-Rending'. He slammed the tome shut and sighed.

"Knowledge is powerful." a deep vox-enhanced voice interrupted Ekser's thoughts from the door of the vault. "But so are lies."

Esker slowly turned to see a giant, armoured form of a Chaos Marine framing the door; he quickly got up and bowed to the figure. It was the Coryphaus of the Word Bearers host, he was a mysterious figure highly respected by his peers and feared by even that upstart Morlon Degan. He was only known to all by the title of The Disciple.

"Lord, I was just strengthening my faith by immersing into unbelievers foolish lies."

"Indeed?" the Chaos Marine laughed.

Ekser swiftly moved his carapace armoured bulk out of the vault squeezing past the frame of the massive Word Bearer.

"Tell me Ekser, why the long face?"

Ekser was completely surprised by such a friendly question by such a highly held Word Bearer, he opened his suddenly parched mouth as he guessed a menacing smile form behind the horned battle-helm.

"My, lord Disciple, it is just that the battle is…well being lost." Ekser swallowed hard and expected a bolter shot ring out or a power-fist to squeeze the life out of him. Yet all he felt was a vox-enhanced laughter of the Word Bearer.

The Chaos Marine put his armoured gauntlet on Ekser's shoulder and squeezed lightly, he could hear the armaplas straining beneath the iron-grip "You seem a bit worried their, Nero."

Ekser really did not know what was happening "Lord, I don't…"

"Never mind that, but know this." The Chaos Marine's voice settled in a serious tone "All that is happening is in accordance with the plan. By the gods I will see it enacted. But I find your lack of faith in it disturbing."

In a sudden motion the Chaos Marine grabbed Nero by his throat and raised him a full foot from the ground, Nero did not fight back, he had enough knowledge to simply die beneath the grip of such a holy a warrior, such was his devotion, suddenly Ekser was shoved to the rock wall behind him.

"And by the Gods, I will see that you pay for such indiscretion and disbelief!" he raged as the helmet's eyepieces began glowing red "If it weren't for you having command of the Black Hand and the pathetic cultist dogs here and their need in the plan…"

The giant released his grip and Ekser fell on his feet "Oh and you will pay if you ever again show doubt or weakness with your soul as a plaything for the Gods."

"My lord, as you wish. I will do as you command." Nero croaked from his bruised and battered throat.

"I think you will." The giant said as he gently raised Nero. "I see a lot of death by your hands in this accursed place, for that I forgive you of all the transgressions you have committed. But remember Chaos is not an oft forgiving master. Neither am I."

With that the Chaos Marine strode of down the long hall toward the upper halls. Ekser finally sighed out in pain and rubbed his throat. He struggled as he got up and found his footing as he was stumbling away to find his commanders, he paid no more heed to what had just transpired, it was just how chaos worked and he had his duty to do. It was always so, it was natural to him, the abuse, the twisted logic, random berating and all of it, just a plan of chaos to mold him into what he was right now.

Forgetting that was his mistake and he was found and punished as always, but this from a higher authority, a Bearer of the True Word. It was natural for chaos to act in such a way, thus as a follower chaos he was bound to it by soul. Thus it was his nature too. He began formulating ideas on punishing the cultists under him and a faint ugly smile creased his scarred face.

**Final Push**

The Iron Gate of the Citadel had swung open and the floods of cultists hit the volleys of disciplined Space Marine fire and were shredded to pieces, lasgun wielding Cadians, stout-hearted Thorians and a Legion of Erathian Storm Guard took the advantage and pushed into the gate as heavy fighting swallowed the area. The entire compliment of two thousand Space Marines who had heard the call for Arkavon Star-Cluster liberation were present for what the Council Command called the "Final Push".

It was no more than a day ago that something the Grand Admirals and the Grand Marshals weren't expecting for happened. Adeptus Terra in all their bureaucratic madness had somehow decided to grant the Council Command the Crusader Sanction and they set about gladly putting it into effect, it was now officially a crusader force thus liable to an infinite amount of manpower and resources from the local Imperial Citizenry within their jurisdiction, yet they were liable to offer assistance to any beleaguered Imperial Force within the sector.

But this also meant that all the higher ups were oath bound to finish the crusade under the clause or else, heads would roll. Mainly it would be the higher ups and they were too happy with their lives to see it end in the wrong end of a commissar's or even worse an inquisitor's bolter.

Hakon's company and the rest of the 42nd Erathian Regiment or whatever that was left of the regiment, was formed into a cohesive strike force and amalgamated temporarily with the 42nd Helios Armoured and the fresh 34th Cadian Kasrkin Regiment who had been kept in reserve to exploit just such a breach. Their objective was far to the east of the massive Iron Gate, where most of the Imperial assault was concentrated.

They were to co-ordinate a joint strike to drive into the breach at the same time as the Iron Gate's assault began, which was right about now.

Hakon looked on in anxious wait for the signal to go off, a thunderous barrage of the 45th Artillery.

Which eventually followed the massive daunting walls before the assembled force collapsed into a smouldering heap as smoke and debris rose up over the cry of exaltation from a thousand throats. Black armoured figures armed with las and auto-rifles appeared over the walls and began firing into the press of men below as the imperials returned fire as the rumbling 42nd Helios Armoured Brigade thundered into the gap through the smoke, las and shell fire, their advanced machine spirits relaying targets to the lesser technically gifted machines.

The pride and heart of the Armoured Brigade was the Baneblade _Eternal Will_ commanded by Brigadier Seth Vornal, an aged and battle-hardened veteran of many campaigns with a legendary skill as a tactician and commander only matched by his almost devastating anger. It was said, or rather whispered, that at the battle of Revix II when the chaos armour had broken through the Helios lines the acting commander of the 42nd had called a paniced retreat. Vornal had seen this as a slight on his regiment's owner and blew up his own colonel's tank for cowardice and personally taken the armoured unit's command and turned the retreat into a decisive victory.

The _Eternal Will_ ws the first Imperial unit to enter the breach and behind it came three hundred armoured tanks and a hundred armoured personal carrier, all firing their guns in a furious storm of anti-infantry and anti-armour fire. First to meet them were the unlucky wall of Cultists of the Marked, behind them stood black armoured warriors of the Black Hand goading the masses of cultist onward to the feiry maws of the Helios tanks.

Hakon's was the first Erathian company to secure the breach. The Liuetenant reached the rubble mound at the breach as the rest of Sergeant Halvorn's platoon fanned out behind him setting up Autocannon and Lascannon placements. He had chosen the rest of the company to stay in reserve to exploit a break in the inner defences beyond the walls. Cadian Kasrkin poured past him and a few of the Officers nodded to him as the platoon blazed away at the masses of the enemy reforming toward a nearby tower.

Hakon aimed into the crowd of heretics who were clogging the tank treads with their dead and saw the destruction before him, he fired his Bolt Pistol and saw two of their leaders drop, discouraged the heretics began fleeing only to be cut down by arcing fire from the rooftops of faraway murky buildings.

Armoured forms of Leman Russes poured from a myriad other breaches through out the walls as a fresh flood of dark armoured Black Hand arrived goading even more miserable looking heretics on to the slaughter.

It was certain that victory would belong to the Imperials, but this was Chaos. Hakon had heard a lot about the twisting ways it enacted and its followers suffered to win a victory. His thoughts were stayed as a strange red mist erupted from unseen fissures on the ground, strange lights dances in the bodies of the dead as blood from the bodies of the heretics began ejecting out violently showering the Imperial forces in blood and body parts.

The Cadians were still pouring in through the gaps behind the armour, they shattered through the scattered heavy weapons platform of the enemy and swept into what they had least expected more tangle of urban streets, peppered with heavily armed Black Hand and hundreds of Word Bearers lined the parapets of the Basilica which had suddenly begun to loom over them. Strange impossible shapes appeared all around them, walls began forming and spikes shot up from the ground impaling dozens of the Kasrkin, random heads amongst the Imperial exploded as some of the Tanks began growing legs and vines, some rusted and some just completely disappeared. Other tanks began firing at the morphing tanks as some began firing back on their own.

Streets and buildings warped and turned into massive pits or maws. A strange feeling of nausea and the wrongness of the place swept through the men and some fell to their knees clutching their throats or cradling their heads in pain, some removed their helmets to vomit as others who were unconscious drowned in their vomits in sealed helmets. Some men just melted into a good of flesh and blood while others were slowed down considerably as if some time warp had occurred around them.

Hakon couldn't understand what he saw now a weird sense of disorientation and nausea swept through him, he could smell the ozone from the las discharges but he could also smell a sickly sweet aroma with a metallic tang of blood and a strange taste of sewage. He felt a weird tug on his arm and he turned to see nothing at all, as if a phantom ghost was pulling at him, he saw skulls instead of faces and blood erupted from the ground. Madness was rife within some of the Cadians around him who sought to slice their own bellies open and eat their own entrails.

Strange runes and forbidden litanies were scrawled on the every single surface of the place, even the Cadians themselves tore open their helmets of chest plates to reveal inscriptions burning into their skins a sudden silence descended on the loud display of battle as fully half of the Cadians within the Basilica's shadow exploded into bloody chunks of flesh and blood which began somehow attracting itself to the strange fissures on the ground. Many were lifted up from where they stood or lay and just burst into flames.

Strange odd numbered hands began birthing itself from the blood filled ground, leering horrifying faces screamed against the fabric of reality as shining multi coloured rifts began forming. Men were driven mad by a chorus of laughter erupting from evil throats of dark malevolence which sought ruin of all things. Promises of glory and whispers of infamy mingled with the certainty of death and the inescapable eternal torment destined for all.

Creatures strange and legion appeared before them some with blood dripping from every part of their bodies, others with a thousand mouths. Some looked like luscious women, inhuman yet alluring, who had claws for limbs and carried an air of violence about them, little gibbering goblin things oozing pus and phlegm began cavalcading around the dead as strange bat-like things with exposed muscle and sinew flew about picking up Cadians and feasting on them while in flight.

"Holy Emperor's Throne!" a voice swore behind Hakon. He slowly turned to see the Rashid clutching an Aquila pendant tightly to his chest while men about him began chanting prayers or forming the Aquila on their breasts. Hakon, still dumbstruck from the sight, turned back to the carnage as he fell to his knees.

Hakon began reciting the Saviour's Hymn. Because he knew that they were lost, the greatest enemy of the Emperor had materialised before him and he knew that nothing could be done, so he prayed, faith was his refuge. It was his only hope as he wept and looked on toward a legion of Daemons materialized before him.


	11. Chapter 11: End Game

Chapter 10: End Game

Thanos Campaign

Basilica Hereticus, Day 8

Upon the Fields beyond the Eastern Walls.

**Hand of the Inquisition**

The slog through the mess was tough, much tougher than he had ever expected, already thousands of loyal Guardsmen were slaughtered as they entered the massive trap the Word Bearers had set for them, and he knew he should have expected this. It had to be a Field Commander or some such within the command structure who was setting up the assault waves to their dooms. He gritted his teeth in anger as he fired a fusillade of shots into the black armoured enemy before him. He was the God-Emperor's Inquisitor he told himself and he put his anger in check for now.

Things were not going well, that was for sure, he picked up pleas for request from his vox-earpiece as he overheard the screams of the men dying in their hundreds; the Eastern Wall breach was nothing short of a blood bath. His agents were already stating that a direct hand would be required before his brother Inquisitor, Kiltius Roghas had stated otherwise. His contacts were right; Kiltius' agents were nabbed in the Oil Refineries far to the west by Imperial Guard under the apparent suspicion of heresy. But he knew better, it was the work of the counter-intelligence working

He had directly intervened once he had gotten the reports of daemon incursions and possessions affecting the advance Cadian Units. He had immediately ordered the evacuation and quarantine of the entire assault wave, but that had turned into an even bigger mess, thousands were caught behind the enemy lines, the enemy were no fools and they had launched a massive counter attack on the walls themselves. Many were simply considered MIA as there was no true body count, in that list was included three of von Galth's most vaunted Inquisitorial agents who he had no idea either survived or not.

Hesian von Galth knew what was at stake here and if the archenemy had excavated the corrupted machines and their plans the entire Arkavon Cluster was as good as gone. So under his Interrogator's insistence and Gosra and Avrus' advice he descended with what forces he had prepared in his Black Ship and had ordered his Interrogator and apprentice to ready another larger detachment in case of a reversal.

He came with a Grey Knight Company under Brother Captain Avrus and a thousand Inquisitorial Stormtroopers under Major Vagon Gosra. Most of the daemons were banished by the direct intervention of the Grey Knights and the other Astartes counter-attack, but that had left space for the Blackhand troopers to consolidate and counter attack with hundreds of Word Bearers as a spear head.

"Justicar Caliban, Justicar Rakus bring your men forward. Gosra form up behind them and secure this area. Interrogator what the hell is out status?"

"Inquisitor, we have multiple hostile units rushing forward from the western section of the fortifications, looks like traitor Legion forces."

"Reinforcements?"

"We have Three Armour Battalions and a declared Regiment approaching to bail you and secure the area. Should I order a separation and purge of the attached Guard units as soon as you are extracted, lord?"

"No, these men are still fighting for the Emperor; I won't risk their chances until this is over. How long till the reinforcements arrive?"

"Six Minutes, sir."

"Praise be."

"Praise to Terra, Lord."

Two squads of Grey Knights swept past von Galth firing their wrist mounted bolters on full auto toward the heretics as they lowered their power halberds onto the crimson armoured giants that followed the Blackhand.

He looked behind him to see a mix of green armoured Cadians who had survived the initial assault and the bulky black carapace armoured and hooded forms of his Inquisitorial Stormtroopers. Raising his force-sabre in exultation he ordered a charge on the enemy.

The charge was a nothing more than a swirling mass of gunfire exchanged between two solid blocks of infantry moving toward each other at terrible speeds, the first rank of the Imperial forces under the Grey Knights shattered through the weak heretic lines and met the Word Bearer contingent behind them head on, the Inquisitor followed suite as he began to encourage his men onward.

He found himself fighting beside red and black armoured men in drab brown overcoats and black rebreathers; they wore the insignia of the Imperial Eagle emblazoned over a thunderbolt on their overcoat and their helmets, a fourteen marked on their left shoulder pauldrons. The words Erathian Guard was printed legibly and blocky in Imperial Gothic below the insignia.

One of the officers of the company of men began to engage the enemy in a fierce sword fight when he was interrupted by a trio of Word Bearers, the Inquisitor knowing that the officer would be caught at unawares jumped in between him and the trio shooting one through the face with his bolter on full auto. The first of the trio slumped dead, its face a mess of bone and brain matter, the second swung his chainsword and ripped through Von Galth's bolter, he discarded it and drew his power-sword.

By now the Erathian Officer he had tried to save was lost in the swirling melee around him, a flurry of las shots ripped into the giant Word Bearer's torso from an unseen source, giving the Inquisitor ample time to thrust force-sabre into its neck severe its head. Only the third one was left and by the gear he wore, he looked like a Champion of the Word Bearers.

A crackling power-sword was unsheathed by the laughing monster and it landed a powerful blow against his own blade which whined in protest, he could feel the strength of the blow reverberate through him as his psychically powered sabre reacted to the sheer potential of the force, more blows followed and von Galth felt a moment of uncertainty about leading this assault by himself.

Inquisitor Hesian von Galth chanted the litanies of focus and strength as he heaved his force-sabre to a high block stance as the arcing strike of the traitor Chaos Marine was halted mid-swing, a stray shot took the Chaos Marine in the temple, driving his advantage von Galth unsheathed his dagger from his waist and plunged it into the weak armour between the neck and jaw in a swift motion. The brute of a marine crashed to its knees, blood spluttering from his neck, still its superhuman build gave it enough strength to pull the knife out and shove the Inquisitor backwards.

Von Galth used the momentum of the expected shove to drive forward the tip of his blade into the brute's forearm puncturing it through armour and bone; calculatedly he used his other free hand to draw his plasma-pistol at the same time. He smiled as he fired the blue plasma stream toward the Chaos Champion's face, killing it instantly.

A sudden thud-boom shook him of his feet as another thunderous explosion threw men and severed limbs in the air joined by clumps of bloodied mud. Von Galth fell and he found himself staring at the form of a black armoured heretic, his bayonet poised to strike.

"Defend the Inquisitor!" came a cry from somewhere as a group of Erathian knocked the poised heretic of him and one of them bayoneted him. At a barked command they formed a circle about him and they fired disciplined volleys, cries in some outworld tongue chanted and sung songs of glory and honour. Von Galth was dazed and shell-shocked and his vision was blurry.

He heard ragged cheers from the Imperial throats as praises to the God-Emperor was raised and the rumbling of tanks was heard in the distance, all about him the crescendo of combat had increased as the enemy numbers swelled, the engagement was heating up, but the slaughter of the Eastern Wall was now becoming a bitter-sweet victory, dozens of armoured units began pouring in behind them firing at the reeling heretics and traitors, the breach was consolidated but the main assault would be stayed and if the tacticians knew any better it would be stopped for good.

He knew what would happen as soon as the traitors were driven into the main halls of the Basilica; Orbital Bombardment and the utter annihilation of everything in the city. He had to call for an immediate priority evacuation, before the enemy could unleash their machines.

**Secret Intentions**

The Blackhand troopers had done well, with each death precious time was bought to fulfil the machinations of the Disciple and his Apostle. The debased rituals were almost complete and the entirety of the Blackhand was assembled before Esker Nero, the unseen and brilliant, psychopathic leader of the Blackhand forces on Thanos.

His second in command, Sebatan gave a slight bow at the foot of the dais before he climbed the blood slick stairs upon which a hundred silk robed cultists were murdered as thanks to Khorne, the Blood God.

Almost casually Nero opened his arms and gave him a strong embrace and a kind smile, a cruel and unusual sentiment for a cruel and unusual being "Ah, Sebatan. The Apostle and his Warlord are pleased I presume?"

"Yes, lord." Sebatan fidgeted as he bought a parchment up from his webbing. "The Lords have asked for another matter also for us to foresee before we leave."

"What matter?" Esker queried in a serious tone almost overriding the jovial mood he had projected a moment past.

"There is the local cultist problem first." Sebatan said with a chuckle as he handed the parchment to his master. "We need to be rid of the fanatical bastards who lead the dogs who claim to be cultists on this world."

Esker read through the parchment and nodded, "Where are the cult leaders?"

"Most are dead, but some survive and plot against us. They seek to enter our hidden ships anchored here and slay us in secret! Those foolish...scum!"

Nero laughed "Fools, indeed my good Sebatan, fools indeed. Where are they now?"

"They are holed up near the eastern section with twenty two thousand cultists, our unit, the Eighteenth Battalion under Captain Sekan guard the eastern entrance of the ship. I have informed Sekan of their intentions; he is ready to carry out the order."

"Good, pull the battalion back and sabotage the shield reactors of the ship. That should kill them all. I don't want my time wasted anymore on those ungrateful bastards."

Sebatan nodded and handed him a data-pad, "Then there is something else...of grave import, lord."

Esker typed on the rune pad and a number of names and locations came up most were listed as secured or dead. A dozen names came up as unknown, but their locations were stated. "Who are they?"

"Inquisitorial agents." Sebatan hissed in anger. "They are agents of the Inquisitors Kiltius and Von Galth who had previously infiltrated the cults. We have them all here, under our protection; we are to transfer them to our bases in Xalus System. They are all a hindrance to our counter-intelligence network within the Imperial command structure and have valuable information on the moves of the crusade."

"Have our agents been identified, yet?"

"Not yet, but they are getting closer to our lord's...other more serious activities"

"What? You mean the excavation of the Titans?"

Sebatan hesitated for a moment, "No...The Everseeing One...needs something great of him. That was all the Disciple had told me. From what I have gathered it seems that something called the Burning Obelisk is being uncovered...but I do not dare question him further."

Nero gasped when Sebatan had mouthed the mortal words of their ethereal master, the daemon that had long ago materialized and had infested in Imperial systems for centuries and was the grand founder of the Order of the Blackhand, the war-cult and military arm of his vast organisation meticulously planned and placed as a legitimate Imperial force in many worlds only to find them eventually fall to Chaos.

That was until the Grey Knights and the Ordo Malleus got involved and the true horrors of the entire operation of the Daemons revealed "The...Everseeing One...They know, the foolish worshippers of the Corpse-God know?"

"Not yet, lord. I think it is to avoid just that."

Nero nodded and contemplatively let his gaze wander over to the serried ranks front he black armoured soldiers, "Good. I will see to it personally, what is the next world we liberate from the wretched hands of the Imperium?"

He smiled at Sebatan as he recited the world and the occupants, expected resistance and purpose of the mission. Once again Sebatan mentioned the name of the world, once more he smiled.

Varnus.

**Losses**

Commissar-Captain Isaac Rashid pulled the Inquisitor to his feet and supported him on his shoulders, all around him the Erathian wall of fire deterred any cultists from risking to take a shot at the Inquisitor. Counting on his luck three more Erathians rushed forward and helped Rashid to carry the wounded Inquisitor behind the burnt out

A medic rushed over and began checking the vitals of the dazed Inquisitor "Are you okay, sir? Can you hear me?"

The Inquisitor blinked rapidly and opened his mouth to form words when the medic retrieved a bottle and fed it to the Inquisitors rasped throat. He grunted as he felt the liquid trickle down his throat and eased the shock on his head.

Rashid smiled as the Inquisitor sat himself upright on the beaten and cracked ground and nodded his thanks to the medic, who simply packed up and moved on.

"Thank you, there Commissar." He rasped as he coughed gout of phlegm out. "Damned warp, my unit and me were cut off in the melee, didn't expect to be jumped by them so suddenly."

"You didn't get jumped, sir." Said another figure approaching him, he wore golden epaulettes of a Lieutenant on his shoulder-guard and carried an assault-las like he knew how to use it. "You just got, what my men say, distracted."

Von Galth gave a mild nod and acknowledged the officer. "Thank you for that officer...err, Lieutenant, I presume?"

"Sir!" the Erathian Lieutenant snapped to attention and gave him a martial salute. "Lieutenant Werath Hakon C.O of the 14th Company 'Strikers', 34th Erathian Guard Regiment."

"34th Erathian? I thought that regiment was..."

"Gone, sir? No, sir. We, my Striker Company, remains and three other companies along with us. We were dropped here in the first wave because we missed the action on Hanite Incursion."

"You say three...four companies? That is strange, I was not aware of that."

Hakon bit his lip, an uninformed Inquisitor; this may not be good he told himself.

"Who is the commander of the combined companies?"

The tall Commissar stepped forward and saluted "Commissar-Captain Isaac Rashid, sir. Acting Commander of the remnant of the 34th Erathian."

"A commissar leading a tattered regiment? Now that seems familiar." He smiled the tension which Von Galth had created seemed to dissipate in that one sentence. "So tell me where the other companies are?"

"I...we are not sure." Hakon said a pang of regret in his voice "With all the fighting and slaughter, I would have guessed most are dead."

A flurry of ideas flooded the Inquisitors mind, the information on the loss of the 34th was common knowledge but this...this was something else, men had survived from the company but were unrecorded. Yet Central Command, the group of bickering idiots he would soon had to deal with, had sent a Commissar to gather the companies...but to what end? The Commissar, he must know.

"Commissar-Captain gather what men you have and fall back to the prepared evac zones. Lieutenant, once again I thank you for the assistance, it will not be forgotten." He turned back to the Commissar and smiled "Commissar, your unit seems combat-ineffective."

The Erathian Lieutenant scowled at the statement "Combat-Ineffective is not a word in our doctrine, sir. Inquisitor or not there is no need to insult our honour!"

"I did not mean any offence, Lieutenant Hakon. A moment gentlemen." the Inquisitor smiled as he moved away from the Officer and Commissar.

He activated a comm-link and silently listened to reports. "Interrogator, what is the status on the lance battery charges?"

"I...I thought you were not using them...for now, Inquisitor."

"Well prep them now, ETA?"

"Two Minutes."

"Good. What have got on a 14th Company 'Strikers' of the 34th Erathian Regiment?"

"A moment, sir." A crackle and pop later the Interrogators voice filtered in. "Highly decorated unit, sir. Participated in many engagements outside this sector, has field records of service papers dating back to the 31st Millennium, sir. But somewhat of a backwater Company, no one who has ever served in it has made it above Major, it is the pit where the Generals and politicians throw their rivals or their sons into. They were reported MIA presumed...scratch that confirmed destroyed three hours ago. May I venture why the query, Inquisitor?"

"Destroyed? I see. What about any other companies from the Regiment?"

"Unconfirmed, sir. Intelligence and frontline reports claim they were wiped out in the first wave in the wall breach. Were they corrupted, sir? Were they the leak?"

"No, but I think there is something gravely wrong here. They are alive, interrogator; the 14th is anyway, they seem heavily depleted. Either way you should make sure that their status is not changed from KIA. Cancel the units' call signs and records of contact or any other threads that may lead to them being MIA or even seen in this field, declare them all as KIA."

"Copy that, Inquisitor. Anything else?"

"Are the Lances charged?"

"The Emperor's Retribution awaits."

"Good, get me the Gamma-Beta and tell them to await an Erathian force for extraction. I want them to scour this area and find all the Erathians they can and I want them secured and aboard the Halvador within the hour."

"Of course, Inquisitor. But there is the problem with the High Command ordering a cordon for evac ships attempting to achieve orbit."

"I don't think that I have to tell you what to do, Velan. You know damn well you can take care of it."

"Of course, sir. Only a precaution to ask the senior before an initiative is taken."

"Good, Von Galth out."

Hesian smiled as he turned and walked toward the Erathians as he cut the link, "Alright commissar, you have new orders. You are under my charge from now."

"Yes, sir!" the Commissar saluted a smile creased Isaac's face. Hakon's scowl remained unchanged.

"You will gather all the companies that remain in your command and join Gamma Beta Strike Force who will be approaching you shortly with troopships for departure. We are getting you out of here"

The throng of men were no more than some seventy in number, a heavily depleted company quickly formed into a marching line and walked on toward the opposite direction of the advancing Guardsmen. Von Galth felt a pang of sorrow for such losses, but a shrewd mind as his saw the opportunity this tragedy presented. There was something about the Commissar and his unit, something he picked up in his senses. He closed his eyes as men filed past him into dropships of the Inquisitorial ships; he opened the link to his apprentice once more.

"Tell Gosra and the Astartes to evacuate the area. And have the other Erathians been reached?"

A short fizzle and crackle later a confirmation came over. "Yes, Inquisitor, the Erathians are being evacuated right now, Gosra is falling back to you, the Brother-Captain has disengaged." A short fizzle interrupted the interrogator "What about the rest of the units advancing toward the Bastion and the Basilica?"

"The God-Emperor watches over them." Von Galth said ignoring his previous judgement of declaring the Guardsmen around him safe.

"You are letting them die? I am certain you claimed that these men fought for the Emperor?"

"There is no choice, the entire force was exposed after all, and I am sensing a high degree of corruption here. I am sure you can pick the readings up."

"Yes, Inquisitor. But there is something more massive building up just beyond the Basilica. But it is Non-Psychic in nature; I assume it is some sort of defence grid activation."

"Never assume, interrogator. Is it consistent with a plasma reactor?"

"It is...wait; multiple contacts inbound from the warp-jumps." Clicking and buzzing suddenly interrupted the communiqué as a short pause developed "God-Emperor, preserve us! I am picking up thirteen Acheron Class Battle-Cruisers inbound with a fleet of over three hundred other unidentified ships out of range of the sensors."

"Prepare the fleet and warn the incoming forces of an imminent and destructive breakout...rather a break IN toward the planet. I am sure Grand Admiral Daelan Rudhra knows how to move ships."

"Yes, Inquisitor. Be wary, lord, there is just over six Hades Class Battleships dug in and hidden beneath the Basilica."

"Beneath it, what in the hells?"

Massive explosions shuddered through the spine of the Basilica as the form of three Warhound Titans burst from the walls; the immense shape of two Scout Class Titan loomed behind them as bright flashes erupted upon its torsos as cannons lit up all across the place into the multitude of advancing Imperial Guard.

"Major Gosra, I need Pickup! Interrogator, bring the _Halvador _to the fore and purge this place. Now!"

A Valkyrie in the black and red of Gosra's own command dropship swooped over near him and a hand grabbed at his shoulder, he turned and boarded the ship as a brilliant lance of light smashed into the lead titan and it erupted into a pillar of plasma fire.

Massive and broad frame of a Battleship hovered behind it and apocalypse visited Thanos.


	12. Chapter 12: Requisition

**Chapter 11: Requisition**

**Thanos Campaign**

**Day 9 Final Day**

**Aboard the _Eye of Hate_**

Domineering and undaunted the massive forms of the Hades Class Battleships rose like some ancient and immense beast from the shattered frame of the once grand Basilica as massive lance bolts rained from a vengeful sky and smashed upon the ground about the fortress and the shimmering void-shields of the battle-ships ineffectively. A massive barrage of heavy ordinance tipped missiles followed smashing into one of the battleships and weakening the shields long enough for a lance bolt to blast through the stern, another three lances followed spearing into the aft and through the main spine of the ship. Blooming explosions mushroomed about the surface of the baroque ship as thousands of bodies were thrown from the massive rents torn upon the baroque and angular battleship as it died.

Sebatan smiled as the cultists' ship exploded in a fury of plasma and nuclear fire, beside him Esker Nero enthroned upon his ships command-chair, the undisputed warlord of the Blackhand forces on Thanos reflected his subordinate's reaction and made the star of the gods with his fingers upon his breast.

"The sacrifice is complete my lord. The last throng of the Thanos Cultists are gone and their curses ended in screams as our gods consume them!" rejoiced Sebatan a murderous glee in his eyes.

Nero nodded as he watched the majestic battleship die in a blaze of fire and plasma. "As true as that maybe we still have a great plan to enact. Prepare the forward batteries and ready the broadsides, prepare all fighter and bomber squadrons I have designated."

"Yes, Lord Nero. By the gods it will be so!" Sebatan professed as he clicked his heels as he turned to the rabble of crook backed and metallic monstrosities that made up the bridge crew and began barking orders for engagement protocols. Esker looked on as the ship breached the atmosphere of Thanos as the hundreds of Imperial ships came into view, he could see the torpedoes aboard all the other ships of the chaos fleet unleash at once. He smiled at the destruction to come and got up from the command-chair and walked toward the exit. He suddenly stopped next to a twisted mechandrite covered tech-priest and smiled at it, what wonders the Gods of Chaos wove, such things truly were amazing.

His bolt-pistol was suddenly in his hand as he pumped the thing full of shells and laughed as it died, such wonders they wove indeed, he told himself as he watched the thing thrash and crawl on the ground not quite dead yet. Smirking at the thing he walked toward his chambers confident that Sebatan would successfully lead the fleet through the blockade around Thanos.

The sudden shudder of weapons discharge and the activation of the tertiary reactors sent tremors through the superstructure of the ship, hundreds of slave crews and dozens of gangers busied themselves around the ship as battle-stations were called through the vox-caller, immense ammo-carts filled with high explosive torpedoes and plasma and lance charge canisters were being transported with haste all around him. At that moment Esker wondered at how marvellously everything had been set out for him and how well the visions and words of the Word Bearer had come to such correct fruition.

"Truly, I am blessed to witness such miracles." He declared to no one in particular as he stalked down the busy gang-ways of the immense warship.

**New Assignment.**

Hakon held on to the side rails as the Aquila Lander lurched about trying to shake of the gravity pull of the planet, his bruised and battered men behind him did the same, a grim look of men resigned to their fate was the constant thought that struck Hakon as flinched as another explosion shuddered through the hull of the transport ship.

He had seen through the portholes the destruction bought down upon the Basilica from a thousand blazing guns from the orbit. Then he began to wonder, couldn't they have done this before? Couldn't they just have blasted the piece of rock from space then attacked? Couldn't they have saved the tens of thousands of lives lost to this attritions battle?

He prayed silently for the lost as his men joined him and began to pray for their souls. It was now completely evident, the other companies of his regiment were all dead, his own company, the 14th 'Strikers' and the 9th 'Aces' under the bruised Kioth were the only ones left intact with most of their field officers alive. Garth and his company along with the green-eyed Alric were almost all wiped out, except for a hundred and ten men who survived the whole deal of both companies, all thanks to the ill-planned first-wave.

They were temporarily reassigned to reinforce the exhausted 'Strikers' bringing his numbers back up to the operational level of a hundred and fifty fighting men. The rest were re-routed to the 'Aces' under Kioth travelling in another ship away from the hell-hole. It seemed the Aces stayed true to their nickname as no less than thirty two were dead and half that wounded within the company, but Hakon knew better. He put it down to Kioth's solid leadership and his troopers unwavering loyalty to the Imperial creed. Young and wet behind the ears they maybe, but damn they knew how to fight! That is all that mattered in this war-torn world, Hakon grimly summarised.

The ship shuddered again as a distant nuclear fire engulfed one of the fleeing ships and there was a quite cheer from the ragged throats of his beaten men, he scanned the broken company and nodded to those who looked back at him. Finally his eyes settled on the Commissar Isaac Rashid, the black-sheep of the company. Clutching a silver Aquila pendant the Commissar was mouthing some prayer his eyes closed his concentration absolute.

He was sent here to retain the morale of the company and found a new regiment around us...now this... he thought as he met the eyes of the young sniper-sergeant Verin Hunter, he simply glared at Hakon and turned away when one of his snipers whispered something to him.

Loud static suddenly buzzed in his ears as he was broken from his assessment of his company and its fate and random communication snippets chattered in his ear, he heard a lot of denials and requests on the scrambled network. He still had no idea what was going on with the Inquisitorial escort and transportation, so decided to find out.

Looking around the troop bay he noticed, code glyphs etched on the wall. Emergency frequency codes for the cockpit in case of inter-ship vox-ban an external band channel can be used to contact the cockpit. He gleaned that that could at least get an idea of what was going on up here.

He switched through the frequency by keying in the codes and his vox-bead went silent, for a moment he thought that someone had found out and was shutting him off, but a clear crisp voice cut through the silence, and it unnerved him because it carried a slight hint of desperation and panic.

"Priority alpha three-one! Repeat priority alpha three-one! We have clearance level black code pattern silver three –six!"

"Copy that Blackbird One. But we have multiple evac-ships with casualties inbound through the cordon we cannot make exceptions under any circumstances!"

"Overseer Three-Six, that is a negative, we have express orders from my higher up and the cargo here is high-priority. You know what a Priority Alpha Three-One is, so I won't elaborate."

There was a slight pause from the call sign Overseer Three-Six, "I understand, Blackbird One, but my higher ups are denying access passes to any ships even Code Black and above clearance passes. No exceptions."

"Then maybe you can make an exception for an Inquisitor of His Holy Orders of the Inquisition?" asked a third voice, Hakon at first did not recognise the cultured tone but realisation bled slowly into his mind. It was Von Galth, the Inquisitor behind his so called "re-assignment" as the Stormtrooper rounding up the Erathians put it.

There was a long pause from the other end of the line, followed by a series of crackles and mish-mashed snippets of other communications, the communications officers voice soon broke through the interference and this time he sounded more scared than sorry for his denial of access.

"Inquisitor, sir...I have just told my senior officer...and...He passed on codes, sir...relaying them to you now, Overseer Three-Six signing out."

"Thank you, Overseer Three-Six," Replied the pilot of the dropship as the communications cut-off.

Working for the inquisition may have its perks; Hakon considered for a moment before he felt another judder shiver through the ship. A blaring alarm began to pulse to life as the troop compartment was bathed in the green light indicating the ship had broken the planet's atmosphere and was trying to gain orbit around Thanos. Hakon sighed and peered through the sealed viewport only to discover a raging, swirling battle playing out before him.

He swallowed with some trouble and grabbed the nearest trooper beside him and pulled him toward him, "Look!" he whispered to the horrified trooper.

The trooper cried out in terror and pointed at the view port, men gathered at the viewport and sounds of fear and astonishment spread through the compartment. Even their Inquisition minders who were seated near the exits and the way to the cockpit were slightly unnerved by the spectacle outside.

"What in Terra's Holy Will is going on?" Subaedar Hunter growled as he strained his eyes against a massive explosion which shattered the hull of an immense ship no more than a few hundred miles away from them and began bleeding men and plasma.

"Traitors are trying to retake the world!" came a voice from the back of the compartment, "But as usual they will fail against the ever-faithful and powerful guns of the Imperium of mankind!"

Hakon turned to the voice to see the Commissar Rashid on his feet his hands clasped the handholds on the ceiling tightly and a tighter smile creased his clean shaven face. As if on cue one of the Subaedar's shouted in glee and pointed out of his viewport, Hakon followed his finger out to watch a monstrous prow of an enormous beast of a ship, ugly with pockmarked hulls and some form of disgusting growths and cancerous, bulbous turrets exploded from inside as streams of torpedoes and batteries of lances pounded the monstrous ship without mercy.

"Look, see! The Emperor never leaves our side as long as we serve him with faith!" Rashid shouted above the violent shudder that ran through the deck of the ship.

For a terse half an hour the thunder and bang went on outside and Hakon closed his eyes and swallowed hard, his men followed his example thinking he was in prayer and a silent rendition of _Our Saviour_ was hummed and whispered through the evacuation ship slipped past the naval blockade into the dock of the waiting Inquisition Black Ship.

That was the last anyone had seen of the remnants of the 34th Erathian Regiment. For the time being they were all considered KIA.


End file.
